Picking Up The Pieces
by Atten Daith
Summary: When Mal and the crew inadvertently witness an assassination Serenity is plunged deeply into a plot to over-through the Alliance from the inside and Mal finds himself in the unusual position of fighting for unification. Book 1
1. Chapter 1 Serenity

Chapter One - Serenity

Serenity slipped quietly through the nothingness of the galactic outer rim towards Persephone. Its sleek metallic structure shone dully against the pinpricks of light on the dark matter fabric that was the galaxy. Barely standing out from the darkness of space, she sped through the emptiness to her destination both unassuming and unnoticed. Its slender neck extended from the box like body pointing the way while the oblong spheroid of the engine pod glowed like a firefly's backend, driving her forward. It was quiet and cold and serene.

The young woman, still a teen actually, stared in fascination out the bridge windscreen at a vast open field of stars in the cold emptiness. A streak of yellow smeared over Serenity's windshield as a particle, excited by the navigational shields, fell back to its resting state and slipped into her wake. Then another, this time blue. The teen's face lit up as each arrant atom glowed past, her eyes wide with wonder behind the stray strands of black hair that veiled her smile. The glow of the emission shone of her pail shin coloring her in alternate hues of red, and yellow and blue. Her unkempt slender form sat bolt upright in the pilots chair eagerly waiting another glancing colored streak of light along Serenity's nose. Like a child in a woman's body, she reveled in the joyful light show.

After an hour, however, the girl became more pensive and drifted into a silent meditation on each stray particle that slid brightly along the Nav shield as the small cargo ship sped toward its next way point. She explored the possible origins of each lonely particle, greeting each with a slow intake of contemplative breath and sighing a sad farewell as they drifted into the void behind. She wondered what had set these wayward particles adrift. Had their stories been like hers or had they chosen their path.

The bridge was dark, lit only by the lights of the console and second hand light seeping through the entry hatch, from the galley down the hallway. She like it better that way. It made her feel more a part of the Verse outside. The void in which their current course passed was also relatively dark, compared to other locations in the galaxy. The stars were few and faint in the void, not like the core with its thousands of close stars, novas and nebulas. River liked the darkness of the void. It quieted her inner monster.

Serenity was no stranger to the dead zones separating the galactic outer rim from the core planets. Each spiral arm left one of these zones, a gap between the traffic corridors on the arm, with their worm-gates and the dense squat ball at the galaxy's center, the Core. These gaps presented quick shortcuts through sparsely populated space as well as long empty corridors from the frontier planets on the rim to the border planets. This was not a place for the faint of heart. This was empty space, dangerous space. Serenity could navigate these voids for days without seeing another soul.

This suited River just fine. She hated the human mental chatter and unregulated outpouring of emotion that pervaded most crowded places. It prodded at her brain, creeping into her thoughts from the corners of her mind when she least expected. Her mind was crowded enough without other people's sordid thoughts invading from the outside. People could be so – well, mean, vain, needy, ugly, angry, selfish, hungry, horny. The teen scrunched up her face at the thought, then smiled at the quiet unending emptiness of space outside the window before her. None of that repulsive mess filled her world here. More than anything else she wanted this place, Serenity, to be her home.

Toward that end she had been trying to make herself more useful around Serenity. River had been piloting the ship, a 130 ton, class three, light weight space freighter, for months now and the captain was starting to feel comfortable enough with her behind the controls that a routine trip from Harvest to Persephone could be done on her own. River didn't mind. She enjoyed the solitude of the bridge during these trips, especially along a void. It made her feel trusted, more a part of the crew.

Empty voids, however were not where Serenity typically made her berths. Cargo ships need cargo and cargo meant people. As they emerged from the gap into the more dense space at the base of the first galactic arm, the glow of highly charged atoms excited by the Nav shield, was more common and signaled their return to civilization. River whispered a farewell to the blackness behind them and braced herself for the human tumult to come on Persephone.

Civilization.

Since her brother had rescued her from the Azure Star Core Academy, broke her out might be more accurate; River and Simon Tam had been hiding onboard Serenity to escape civilization. Though they were no longer fugitives and hadn't needed to hide from the Alliance for the better part of the past year, she still needed to hide from Core society. River no longer fit in with the rigid structures and arcane beliefs of the civilized Verse, their facades were too thinly veiled, their desperate pretences too absurd and pathetic. River could too easily see through the masks they wore to fool themselves and it scared them. It was better that she stayed away from Civilization.

Most communities wouldn't accept a reader into their midst, for that is what most thought River to be, a reader. Someone who can read the truth in people is a dangerous thing. Readers were considered witches or spies, or generally untrustworthy. More often than not they were banished or killed. But the crew of Serenity had accepted her willingly. They treated her carefully, as was to be expected, but civilly. Sometimes like an odd guest and other times like a queer second cousin, but mostly like a member of the crew, someone who belonged. She liked that feeling.

River looked on Serenity as her home now and the crew as her family. Still – this family was just starting to know the half of what River really was. She would have to be careful.

A streak of blue lit up Serenity's muted bridge and she smiled.

The silence of space was vast, peaceful and comfortingly endless.


	2. Chapter 2 What would Wash Do

Chapter Two - Wrong place at the wrong time

Captain Malcolm Reynolds sat in the galley, likewise silently meditating on a spoon full of gray protein mush. He sat in a small chair with his elbows on the table, turning the spoon left and right to view all aspects of the pulpy paste. A few months ago his Verse resembled this mashed up mushy mess, no structure, no direction. His crew was chewed up, his ship was in a shambles and his business prospects were all but dead. Now things were back on track. They were even starting to look good, for a change.

Serenity's galley was small, yet comfortable. The table in the center could comfortably seat eight people while a couch like booth and table, filling the back corner nearest the engine room corridor, could accommodate another six. The surrounding cabinets, appliances and machinery would have blended in to the rest of the bland metal interior if not for Kaylee's decorative flower paintings throughout the galley. The engineer told the captain it would give the place a more homey feel. He couldn't say she was wrong about that. A set of windows rimed to forward and aft edge of the ceiling allowing the occupants to view the stars when they were underway or allowing the light in when they were on planet. It was a good place to just sit – and think.

Mal turned the spoon again in his hands, examining each facet with a thoughtful contentment that could only be attributed to the total lack of activity onboard. River was on the bridge, Jayne was resting in his bunk; Kaylee likewise in her engine room hammock, while the doctor was organizing his infirmary and Inara redecorating her shuttle for her next job. Busy and content. Everyone at least 10 meters from the nearest other soul.

Zoe, his partner, first mate and war compatriot, was in the cargo hold strapping things down, or in the airlock adjusting the seals on the enviro-suits, or cleaning her weapons. Keeping busy. She had been doing quite a bit of that since her husband had died a little more than half a year ago. Her Verse was still a bit mushy. He'd have to keep an eye on that, he thought briefly before letting the thought go. The war had taught them both not to dwell on loss.

Mal ate the mush and started contemplating the now empty spoon.

"Empty." He mumbled.

The word spilled absently from his lips, tinged with a slight satisfaction. Malcolm Reynolds's sky was again empty, just as he liked it. Since the shootout at Blue Star both the Alliance and the Reavers had become exceedingly scarce in the outer rim. The battle had hurt them both and they'd retreated to the respective corners for a while. That made the space between the core and Miranda free again – and empty.

Most satisfying of all was the fact that in all the mayhem and destruction of the battle, Serenity's part in the great conflict had gone largely unnoticed. No fanfare no warrants, no grand recognitions, no bounties, nothing. There was only the slightest undercurrent of rumor that Serenity was even involved.

For once things had worked out to Mal's liking. Save the universe and the universe repays you by leaving you alone. Mal smiled and refilled his spoon. Cosmic justice. Now he could go about his business without all the hassle that had become his life over the past year. No running, no hiding, lots of work and no surprises.

He emptied the final spoonful of mush from his bowl and cleaned up his gear, stowing it neatly in the cabinet. Then he made his way to the bridge, smiling and patting the hallway walls as he went. They should be arriving in Persephone soon and he wanted to be on the bridge when they reached Com range. Having a crazy girl pilot his ship was one thing, but he wanted to be there for the control tower operators when he came down from his sky.

"Yup." Again the words smacked of contented satisfaction. "Cosmic justice."

.

.

Wash stood behind River, his semi-transparent body wracked with tension, an urgent look on his face. He paced back and forth behind the girl in an agitated fashion. The hall behind him, leading to the galley, was empty and looked misty through his ghostly body.

"You're drifting!" He insisted.

"No. I'm meditating." River replied to the empty bridge, eyes still closed, knees clenched tightly to her chest in her supple bare arms. The air was dry and a bit chilly, so she huddled in the warmth of the pilot's chair with its curly lambskin fir. The light of the Vid screen console flickered on and off, reflecting off her face and arms, giving her an eerie blue complexion more ghost like than the specter behind her. Wiggling her toes in the deep sheepskin curls of the seat cover; she rolled her head in a slow carefree circle, letting her long black hair cascade over the shoulders of her sleeveless gingham summer dress.

"I mean we're drifting, Serenity is drifting!" The apparition pointed both ghostly hands toward the window of the bridge in an exasperated, open palmed motion that so characterized Hoban Washburne that it made River smile just remembering.

"You shouldn't interrupt, even if you aren't real; it's not polite." She retorted.

"Just thought you'd like to live a little longer - that's all."

He had always been melodramatic, funny, quirky and offbeat but most of all good at what he did. Before dying at Blue Star he had been arguably the best small craft pilot in the 'Verse'. Since then he had been a somewhat nagging presence in River's mind that often made it know that, 1) she was only in his seat because he liked her and 2) she was doing things all wrong.

In the past three months he had decided to visit her while she was on the bridge. River had determined it was the fault of his chair. Somehow it had clenched onto his spirit when his heart was punched through it by the Reaver harpoon that killed him. River could feel him when she sat in his chair. Most just felt uncomfortable in his chair, but River liked it. It made her feel that he was looking after her, keeping her safe. Then it suddenly dawned on her what the familiar spirit was trying to tell her.

"I'm drifting?" She considered. "I'm drifting!" She shouted.

Her deft hands snapped to the controls, her body at full attention, her eyes now focused on the position display. A large swirling orange moon dominated the display and Serenity's windshield. It was huge and gaseous and imminent. Swerving gently around the large toxic mass, she examined the display to find out where they were. Poking at the display a few times to stop the flickering she assess the magnitude of her error.

_Maybe no one would notice_, she hoped, as Mal entered the bridge.

"You're what?" He asked nonchalantly, unaware of how nearly dead they all were.

"They were lost but not alone."

"That alarm is broken," The ghost of Wash interjected. "You're gonna have to get that fixed."

"Shhh." River scolded the figment, who was now sitting in the passenger seat behind the captain.

"What?" Mal shook the words around in his head hoping they might make more sense in a different order. That often worked in conversations with the girl.

"The particles. They are all together. Not alone. They are dense when you go fast enough."

"Okay." He admitted. "So?"

"Serenity's not flat." A flood of red streaks smeared along and over Serenity's port side to accentuate her point. "That's what he was trying to tell me."

"Get that fixed is what I'm saying" The ghost retorted, pointing at the proximity alarm. "… It's your life."

"Shhh."

"Who?" Mal looked around the empty room and then to the display on the co-pilots console, as the girl at the controls drifted into a new contemplation of stray particles. "River?" He asked, his voice calm.

"Yes Captain."

"Where the hell are we?"

"Not Persephone." The smiling face answered proudly.

"Why?"

River proceeded to explain that space is not empty and that each particle, when passed at great enough speed, acts just like an atmosphere. Those that travel over the top of Serenity, and not under, impart a small, but cumulatively greater force because of her shape. She explained how Wash would have instinctively compensated for this force, having had an unspoken synergy with Serenity, but that she had been communing with the particles and made a mistake.

"Oh." Mal replied, now wishing her hadn't asked.

She continued her explanation apologetically. Mal checked out when she started describing how small particles tend to spherical symmetry and how Serenity tended to the asymmetry of manmade constructs and how she had not been focused enough and how she could fix it and …

"Just tell me what happened." The captain interrupted, not patient enough to weather the slight whininess that accompanied her explanation.

"We drifted."

"Okay. How far?"

"Four clicks phi and a half theta."

"To the third moon. Okay, we'll be a little late, but Badger will still be there and Inara will forgive us."

Had he known they had nearly hit the third moon, he might have been more agitated. River felt it was better she keep that to herself for now. Another flood of red particles distracted her again and her gaze drifted to the windshield. This time she reached her hand out to them hesitantly.

"Wash liked the red ones, but the blue ones taste better." River was frowning, sadly. She turned to the captain with a forlorn expression. "They were all warm and fuzzy 'til they all got sad. The atoms." She explained.

"Alright then." Mal wasn't sure he would ever understand the girl, but she was generally harmless – when she wasn't killing things.

He knew River had been talking to his dead pilot since she had started sitting in his chair three months ago, a fact that Mal tried to keep to himself. It might disturb the others; even knowing she was somewhat of a psychic. Although talking to ghosts was strange, by River's standards it was fairly normal. Readers were like that. But it had made her a better pilot, so Mal didn't question it. The captain clicked on the intercom.

**"We'll be another twenty to Com – so everyone adjust your plans accordingly."**

The ship lurched and the bridge suddenly flashed blinding green, as a huge energy bolt blasted past their starboard side, raising the hairs on the captain's neck and arms. Mal grabbed the control and jerked Serenity around abruptly. River spilled from the pilot's chair and sprawled face first to the deck.

"Ow!"

"What the…" Mal yelled.

A second shot skimmed just over Serenity's port engine.

"Zoe!" Mal jerked the control the other way, sending River tumbling down into the sensor pit. "Get up here!"

"Speed." River suggested as she struggled up the steps toward the pilots seat. "We're not alone here."

"No kidding! - Zoeee? - Kaylee? You with me?"

A third and forth shot flashed by. Mal swerved and dove after each shot.

"**I'm shiny Captain, but a little tied up right now."** Kaylee's voice chirped over the intercom.

The engineer's right arm dropped from the Com switch and hung limply at the side of the tangled bundle of arms, legs, hammock, cords and overalls suspended three feet off the deck that was now her cocoon.

"Yup. Just a little tied up." she mumbled struggling to get her knee out of her face as the hammock-net tightened around her.

"Stop jerking that wheel around and maybe I could get up off the deck." Zoe replied from down the hall as she tumbled to the floor yet another time.

"I need speed." Mal yelled. "I can't shake this _hundan_."

River braced herself against the console as she struggled back into the pilot seat and closed her eyes. "What would Wash do? What would Wash do?" she repeated.

"I'd damp out the shim, boost the angle, you'll get your speed, and _Ta Ma Di_ quit banging the rails!" Wash's apparition poked his ether like finger at the red knob and blue lever.

River grabbed the wheel, turned the red knob left, slid the blue lever up and turned the wheel slowly right, pulling back on the control. "What would Wash do?" she chanted the mantra calmly, rhythmically.

"Down, rock side." The ghost said pointing to the moon. "We can't out run this _piyanr_. We need cover."

"Why is there a Gorram G8 trying to blast us?" Mal complained as Zoe crawled through the hatch. "And _Wuh De Tyen Ah_ why is my ship headed down."

"Can't answer that, sir."

"Bring her down into those clouds, but not too deep. Then left and stop." The figment continued, passing a concerned glance toward Zoe, as his former wife struggled to the passenger seat.

"What would Wash do?" River mouthed, doing exactly what the ghost told her.

Mal stared at the teen as she maneuvered the ship deftly to a sudden stop. Zoe looked to the Captain for an explanation as she pulled herself to her feet, but received only a shrug.

"Isn't this moon unstable - sir?" Zoe offered.

"It surely is."

Serenity was a Firefly, version 3, K64, VTOL craft that was extremely popular in its day both for its versatility and maneuverability, though it didn't boast much speed or cargo capacity. Its true value was in its range. For its size it could out distance many larger craft. It was, however, no match for a fighting ships speed. What it could do that the G8 pursuing it could not was stop and hover.

The G8 shot by the stern of Serenity, punching through the clouds into a sudden festival of lightning bolts, arcs and massive discharges that broke the small vessel into chaff. The gunship was destroyed. Zoe and Mal remained frozen, staring at each other.

"What would Wash do?" The girl said once more, gazing calmly out the windshield. Then she stood, walked over to Zoe and planted a huge kiss on the woman's confused lips and left the bridge.

Mal quickly grabbed the wheel, keeping Serenity in her hover and looked desperately around the bridge for an explanation. "What the hell was that?"

"Can't say Sir." Zoe replied with a dumbfounded blankness in her expression, her heart still pounding from the chase and her lips still tingling from the kiss.

Jayne pushed by the exiting teen and entered the bridge ready for action, a gun in one hand and a crust of bread in the other.

"Wha'd I miss?" the burly man asked, taking a bit of the crust.

"Don't rightly know." the captain replied.


	3. Chapter 3 Flying

Chapter Three – Flying

Before his world was turned sideways, Simon Tam had been reading a letter from his father. He lay on the pallet of his small cube-of-a-room in Serenity's passenger bay, just behind the cargo hold. The room was small but comfortable, brightly lit and surprisingly cozy for a prefab module. The bed was small, but firm, with a small side table and a lamp to read by. The overhead light provided an even illumination to the rest of the cube, while another lamp adorned the crude desk, behind which her now sat.

It had taken nearly a year for his father to send this letter, but admitting he was wrong and begging for forgiveness was not something that came naturally to Gabriel Tam. He was an important man on Osirus and in Core society and he wasn't used to being wrong, much less conceding that fact to his son. Gabriel was an Icon to Simon, a man that until then had no peer. Though his intellect didn't reach that of his baby sister's, his righteousness and fortitude of moral fiber were beyond reproach.

Finding out what had been going on in the Alliance, human experimentation on a planetary level, was more than he could immediately accept. The fact that it was right under his nose, in the middle of his own family no less, didn't make it easier. He'd dismissed Simon's warnings and forced his son to rescue River on his own. Rejected the truth and evidence his son had given him and even thrown him out to preserve his ignorance. He coldly refused to believe the rumors, reports and exposés until they were completely undeniable. Rumors of secret weapons and reports of horrible experiments, it was not the way of the Alliance, not his Alliance.

The death of the Security Minister, an old friend and now adversary, seemed to jell it all in his mind. The official and undenied exposé of his secret programs was the nail in the coffin. With this letter Gabriel Tam was making an overture to his alienated son and tortured fugitive daughter. It started out forceful and demanding, as was his style.

'Simon. It is time for you and River to return to Osirus. It isn't right that you should be traveling the Universe at such low station when you can return to your career at the hospital and your home, here with us.'

So like him, Simon thought, not to give an inch from his high horse. He'd tossed the letter in a corner of his desk for a time, refusing to read it any further. But it had nagged at him all week and he'd finally gotten up the nerve to finish reading the correspondence.

After some rationalizations on how and why he should come back his father's tone changed. It took Simon off guard and as a bit of a surprise.

'I realize now how wrong I was and I don't blame you for being angry. I should have trusted you more. You and your sister were always so close. I should have known you were right. After Carl killed himself they told me about the Academy, they told me he knew all along. I didn't think he had grown to hate me that much that he would knowingly do this to my River. I'm sorry, so sorry that you both got mixed up in all of this. I should have seen it then, but now I'm asking, I'm begging. Bring River home. Come home.'

Simon stopped for a moment considering the possibility. He could return to the hospital and maybe a more normal life. Helping regular normal people again, instead of patching up this band of unappreciative misfits mercenaries. River could get the help she needed, the best in the Verse. They could go home. Things could be like they were before.

But what would happen the first time River accidentally took out a bar full of patrons in a brawl, or matrons at a quilting club? What would happen if she killed someone? She was getting better, but he still didn't know what would set her off. It was safer for the family that she, that they both stay out here.

"Home."

He pondered the word wishfully for only a moment. It was warm and comforting, that word. It meant so much to Simon. It meant quiet sitting rooms with a library of fine literature and plush silk rugs with deep comfortable sofas and warm aromatic tea sitting on an elaborately inlayed table. It meant being someplace for more than a few days, settling in to a routine. He wondered if that was what 'home' meant to River. Then Serenity lurched and he was rudely slammed from one wall to the next flying across his room, and left clutching to the strut of his rack desperately trying to stay in one piece.

.

.

Flying had always been one of Inara Sarah's passions. She had to admit that one of the reasons she signed on with Serenity in the first place was that freedom of having her own shuttle and being able to fly it on her own. On Sihnon she was chauffeured where ever she needed to go, watching from the back, never feeling the controls of the flight, the lift from the wind and the rocking of the pressure flux, the thrust of the main drive. She wanted to feel the freedom of soaring in the clouds, experience the wind beneath her wings, taste the excitement of re-entry, let it fill her – with her hands on the wheel. She could not have that at the Companion House.

But Mal granted her complete autonomy over the shuttle she rented. It was hers. This shuttle was not just a space that she had made into a home, or a place to conduct her business, it was freedom. She could go where she wanted, do what she wanted, control her world. No more feeling restricted to the confines of the Guild house or the situational vagaries of a job gone bad. She had her shuttle to fly away in, she was free. The only problem was that that freedom came hand in hand with Malcolm Reynolds.

Mal had allowed her to make any modifications she wanted, and she could pay for herself, of course. That wasn't the issue. Her shuttle had been upgraded with additional stabilizers that could remain active even while docked. These could damp out some of the small jerkiness of Serenity during reentry and docking. She was comfortable enough. It was customized for greater speed and extended range, so she could get to and from her work dates more effectively. It was decorated lavishly and was quite comfortable as a living space. It was everything she wanted with ample use of cushions and pillows in the decoration. So when Serenity lurched and dove it was the cushions that saved her from being battered to a pulp in this particular situation – and it was these situations that exemplified her problem with Malcolm Reynolds.

Serenity's unexpected bucking sent Inara flying through the air, flailing around like a fool, trying to latch on to something firm, anything. Eventually she grabbed hold of her largest cushion, wrapped it around herself for protection. Then she just bounced around with the rest of the flotsam and jetsam, praying for the mayhem to stop. The jostling ended as quickly as it had started and suddenly everything fell into place. Her large brown eyes stared incredulously at the ceiling of her shuttle, her heart still bounding as she struggled for breath.

Yes, Inara Serra had a passion for flying, but this was not at all what she had in mind. She struggled to her feet and stumbled dizzily to the shuttle controls. After all of her work, gently hanging, carefully positioning, artfully draping, her shuttle was a shambles. It would take her hours to clean up. She snapped up the intercom angrily.

"Mal! What the hell is going on?"

There was a long pause.

**"Inara, Kaylee, Doc…Meeting in the galley after touch down."**

Another pause.

**"A little help back here please,"** came the engineer's small voice over the intercom.

Flying was Inara Serra's passion. Fly with Reynolds was her curse.


	4. Chapter 4 Vector ZZ4

Chapter Four – Vector ZZ4

Commander Alle Thew adeptly pulled his G8 attack craft around to follow his wingman. His target was dispatched and nothing but stray atoms remained, but it had taken more time than he'd intended. The last thing he needed now was for the rookie to go chasing after this new target with no support. The rookie didn't have the experience yet and Thew didn't have the time. The first two shots missed.

"Damn it!"

The veteran pilot cursed as he tapped at the fuel indicator on the console, as if tapping would make the indicator show more fuel than he actually had in the tank. Thew had expended too much fuel on the first kill and risked not making it back to the Vanguard if he followed the eager G8. He snapped on his Com.

"Tango 7 – Stand down."

**"I can take this one Sir."** Came the crackled response. **"Itch on.y a Fi..fly."**

Alle watched the rookie put two more shots off target as he sped away after the freighter. The flitting G* and the illusive Firefly were quickly out of sight. Interference from the great orange moon's corona what thick on his Com and Alle was angry and felt out of touch, but his targeting display still held the two dots securely. He followed them on his screen in horror, helpless to stop this recruit's gaffe from spiraling out of control.

"Damn fool's headed into the moon. Tango 7 – Stand down and return – ZZ4 – Now!"

Nothing came back. Alle wondered if the greenhorn had even heard him. He tapped the fuel indicator again and cursed. Still only crackling on the Com. This was the danger of giving greenhorns too much information, the Commander thought. Their mission was complete. The obstacle was vanquished. But this guy's taken it on himself to eliminate witnesses. That should never have been part of the briefing. Simple. Scramble, take out the craft, return to base. The errant firefly probably didn't even see the kill.

Thew's eyes narrowed on his targeting screen as one dot stopped and hovered while the other fizzled and disappeared. He slammed his fist on the console. The Captain wound be less than pleased. Alle could hear him now. Don't arouse suspicions if you can't put the curious to rest. Attacking the wayward freighter was bound to arouse some suspicion.

"Nothing to do about it now." He mumbled.

Thew closed his eyes and breathed deep, trying to focus on his current problems. He enumerated them in his mind, 1. low on fuel, 2. one more dead rookie, 3. a witness to their operation had escaped. He flipped his Com to a new channel and barked through clenched teeth.

"Alpha 12 requesting vector ZZ4."

**"Confirmed Alpha 12 – vector ZZ4."**

Alle trimmed the power back to conserve fuel as he came to his vector. How many more rookies will I have to train? he thought as he rolled his neck to relieve the stress. Thew absently traced the patch on his uniform as he resolved the thought in his mind. As many as it took to get a good one, the commander concluded. There was a greater good here to be considered, a new order to bring in. He patted the black lotus patch on his chest and sat back in his seat for the return long trip back.

The commander shut down as much superfluous avionics and electronic as he could to conserve his dwindling energy reserves. Without his wingman he would have to rely on his remaining fuel to get him back to his vector. The Vanguard was not likely to change it course for the wayward G8, after all, it had appearances to keep up. So he would have to close on the exiting cruiser with a single burn and hold the remaining fuel for the final approach. It would be a difficult yet boring run.

The faint yellow line representing his vector flashed dimly in the far right corner on his heads-up display. It was barely visible. His rolling red tote display to the left of the dotted line indicated that he had an hour of tedious waiting before needed to make his adjustment. Hopefully, the cruiser would not have left by then. His canopy display was completely devoid of targets. If the Vanguard weren't there he had one maneuver left and a two-day drift back to a shipping lane. There was a fair bit on prayer involved in that course of action, which was an uncomfortable prospect to the warrior on so many levels. With no immediate threats, Thew back settled into his seat for a long wait.

He let his mind drift right along with his craft. The Black Lotus was where it came to rest. He'd been giving his clan quite a bit of thought over the last two years. It was changing, growing and that was good. But the old man had passed the reins to a new Black Heart and the Lotus was changing in more ways. The recruits were getting greener and the ramification were – well, self evident. They were moving too fast. Growing too fast. This new growth lacked discipline, they lacked the commitment, they lacked the vision. So why was he still here?

Thew closed his eyes and went back to the beginning. The stone garden in the moonlight, the smell of cherry blossoms and the taste plum wine. Her jet black hair, fair smooth skin and willowy body. His commitment to her, and hers to him, and all that came with that rolled over again in his mind. It was done. She was gone now, but the Lotus remained. Had she asked too much of him? Probably, but that was what Alle was and he couldn't change that now. His proximity buzzer roused him from this old reminiscence. It was just as well. He didn't like lingering too long in this memory. The anger would come and he preferred not to remember her that way.

The lone G8 fighter started its approach to the Alliance Cruiser as the huge city like vessel rounded the great gaseous ball that was Persephone's third moon. Its pilot went down the standard checklist on his approach, leaving his past in the past. The tractor took over and Alle relaxed. All he wanted now was a quick workout, a shower and a rest and to forget.

"Alpha 12 cutting over."

**"Roger that, Commander. Commencing upload."**

"How long til..?"

**"Report!"** the Captain's voice squawked in his headset.

Alle nearly jumped out of his seat. He'd hoped he could avoid this moment at least until he was on board.

"Mission complete sir. But…"

**"Where is Tango 7?"**

"Tango 7 pursued a Firefly toward the third moon."

**"A what!"**

Thew considered how he could deliver this news without enraging the Captain and decided that it was not possible. He decided to stay cool and just tell it to his straight.

"A stray cargo ship sir. It was likely an ore hauler from Freemont, off course. The freighter escapes in the direction of Persephone. Tango 7 did not return. I didn't have the fuel to pursue, Sir. "

**"Did they see the kill?"**

"Unconfirmed."

The silence bore into the commander almost as much as the Captain's unseen glare. Thew felt decidedly uncomfortable just imagining the expression on his superiors face. This was going to be a bad day.

**"Full report on my desk in one hour."**

"Yes sir."

Alle flipped off the Com. His fighter was nearly docked and secure. A workout, shower, and nap were no longer a possibility now. He had known better, but that hadn't stopped him from hoping.


	5. Chapter 5 Terra Firma

Chapter Five – Terra Firma

The din in the galley had reached a painful level before the captain showed up. In the half hour between escaping their unexpected welcome to Persephone and actually landing at the Eavesdown spaceport the crew had assembled in the galley seeking some answers to their many questions. Inara was tending Kaylee's rope burns while the engineer explained how her predicament evolved. Jayne was eating while Zoe berated him over his ability to sleep through the apocalypse, and the doctor was just trying to get someone - anyone to explain what had happened.

Mal was not in the mood to humor any of them as he entered. All he'd wanted from life was to drop off his cargo, in this case Badger's Colter Drive Couplings, and get paid. He didn't think that was a lot to ask. Now he had a bigger problem, a seemingly random attack, and no clue as to why. What he was looking for now was some solid ground to stand on.

"_Nimem de bizui!"_ The words snapped out of the captain's mouth with an authority that quieted the rest of them instantly. "As you all seem to already know, someone attacked the ship on our way in to port today."

All of them seemed to chime in as if given a cue. Mal could not keep the 'hows' from the 'whys' and 'what fors'. He quickly lost patience.

"_Bizui!_ Ok then – some of you didn't know," Mal interrupted. "Now I don't rightly know why someone felt we needed to be blasted from the sky, but I aim to find out. G8 gunship don't get out all that way by its lonesome, so someone went through a lot of trouble to put it there and I'm hoping it was not on our account."

"So whad'a we gonna do Cap'n?" Kaylee smiled sweetly as Inara rubbed a moisturizing cover onto the nasty abrasion on the young engineer's forearm.

"Kaylee, you go pick up that new thing you need…"

"Asperator Cap'n."

"Asperator. Then you get back here and do what you do. I don't know how long we can stay."

Inara perked up at those words, but Mal was quick to mollify her. "No longer than needed for Inara to complete her business."

While the others talked River drifted into the room like a wisp of air, quiet and small.

"Zoe and I will complete our business with Badger. He may know what's going on here. Jayne will do the drop, warehouse 5. Then you go to the market."

"Now that's what I wanta hear." Jayne rubbed his hands together eagerly as he growled his words around the stub of a cigar in his mouth. Going to market had a specific meaning when it was Jayne that was going. It usually involved high caliber ordinance, a new handgun or two, a dozen or so grenades and maybe if he was real lucky a finely crafted new knife.

"I don't like not knowin what we're up against." The Captain finished.

"You got any kind of budget for me?"

Mal interrupted the thought with a bag of coins tossed in the big man's lap.

"It's just like Christmas all over again." Jayne counted the platinum gleefully chewing the stub.

"Kaylee. Make sure she's all fueled up and ready to go as soon as Inara is back."

"Yes Cap'n." she replied.

"Captain? I'll be needing some supplies to replace …" Simon started.

"Go with Jayne. Jayne – share with the good doctor – and play nice."

River settled into the corner couch, attracting as much attention as settling dust. She seemed to be counting the particles in the air.

"Will she be OK here on her own?" the captain looked directly at her brother. "Don't get me wrong – she's made lots of progress – but she's still _boo-tai jung-tzahng duh."_

"I wont be long." Simon assured with a glare. He didn't like the idea of leaving his sister unattended for long either. Nor did he like the implication that she was crazy.

"They didn't want to be sad. They wanted to stay fuzzy." River pet the walls of Serenity and smiled. "Fuzzy."

The others just stared at the girl, wondering what on earth she was talking about, except for Jayne. Jayne rolled his eyes, cut himself another piece of bread and moved to the other side of the table just the same. He liked to keep the girl in plane view when ever possible.

"Oh, and the proximity alarm needs replacing." She added, lucidly.

"She can come with me Cap'n." The engineer offered. Kaylee was always willing to bring River shopping, even if it was for engine parts. "We can pick up that alarm at Gunter's as well."

"Shiny." Mal replied. "Let's go then."

Mal took Zoe aside, as the others drifted off into the ship around them.

"Zoe – have I given anyone reason to want to kill us?"

"Lately Sir?"

"Yeah, lately."


	6. Chapter 6 The White King

Chapter Six – The White King

The chess Bishop was smooth to the touch and expertly hand crafted from its simple rounded base to the sharp cleft on the head. Carved from Taneaux, a dense hard wood found only on Bellerophon. A chess set made from this wood cost a good deal of money on any planet. It was weighty and warm and felt good in the hand, as if it was meant to be held, but more than that – it felt as if it had purpose.

The Minister turned the chess piece in his right hand, admiring the simplicity of the unadorned base, the long curve of the body, the small spherical knob on top and the black lacquer finish. He placed the piece carefully back on the spot lit board between the black queen and knight and adjusted the lone lamp on the table to better illuminate it. As he sat in the otherwise dark room, he wondered why his life could not emulate the elegant simplicity of the finely crafted piece. He envied the simple piece of wood.

The chessboard on which he laid the piece was equally well crafted, made of a smoky gray marble and white alabaster. Illuminated in an oasis of light, it was arrayed with the other pieces as if in the middle of an unusual match. The black queen's side of the board was mostly intact, lacking only the rook, while the king's side was decidedly decimated. The king itself was the only capital piece left on the right side of the board. To add to the peculiarity of the strange match, only the king and queen occupied the white side of the board with an array of pawns strategically placed across the middle. The other white pieces were neatly placed to in the left corner of the board, just out of play. Each of these pieces had a small nametag taped to the base. An odd game to say the least.

But odd had become the norm for Minister Loe, the Minister of Justice, in what was fast becoming known as the Alliance's Illumination era, or post Blue Star era. This was the most turbulent era Loe had ever known. Not only had the social order of the Alliance been disturbed by the events of the past year, but the political landscape had been greatly altered as well. The effects of the Reaver disclosure to the public had been politically more devastating than the war for independence ten years earlier. As the public digested the facts around the Reavers and their creation, the Alliance was falling into political chaos and Loe was determined to get a handle on things. Illuminating the public to the facts of the Reaver experiment gone wrong, and those responsible, had been a very dangerous affair, but one that was necessary. Now, however, it was time to salvage what remained of order and build on it.

The minister sighed as he settled back in his soft leather chair and tried to relax. He touched the silk handkerchief in his left hand to his lips and coughed lightly. Anthony Loe had a need for order in his life that bordered on an obsessive compulsion. As the Alliance's top officer of Justice he was well know for the tight reigns he kept on the Ministry, but few knew how deep that need for order ran. He considered it perhaps the most important quality of life itself. As he waited in the dark, Anthony Loe contemplated his family crest, which hung on the wall behind his deck, a constant reminder of his family's glorious past.

This was no way to run things, he thought stroking his thin white beard. The ancestors would have agreed with him. He smiled as he pondered the symbolism of the red dragon clutching the black lotus -strength and cunning with deadly beauty. His musings were suddenly interrupted by the blue light of the vidcom switching on. The appointed time had come faster than he anticipated.

"How was the hunting brother?" The Minister asked as the form of a naval officer took shape, a shape eerily like his own, but younger.

"Not so good brother." replied his younger twin, the heavily medaled officer on the vid screen.

"Not good – how so? I'd heard rumor that you bagged the buck. That is what you went for – no?"

"Yes, yes – but I prefer to hunt for only one target at a time brother."

"He was not alone?" The Minister's voice tightened with a tinge of concern. He swabbed his forehead with his kerchief as his brother explained.

"He was joined by a passerby, a random interloper."

"Did you …"

"No, they escaped. It proved to be elusive for a Firefly." The Officer replied. "I lost one of my G8's pursuing it."

"So - how much did your guest see?"

"I am unsure, however we do have a good description and a location. They proceeded to Persephone."

"Do you think we can shift the blame to them, have them taken into custody if they prove to be trouble?

"It was a Firefly brother. With no weapons it could not have made the kill. Arresting them would just draw attention to the facts of the case. Right now the facts are in our control. We will have to take care of them another way."

"Do what you must, but keep it –to keep them quiet."

"I will take care of it." The younger twin promised. "And how are things with you brother?"

The older twin paused as he stroked his white beard, gazing at his younger self in the Vid-Com. His twin – his clone actually, was gazing back at him with the same intensity he'd had when he was that age. The older Loe now understood what his own father had seen in him when he was that age. So much potential, but so little understanding of true meaning. He had mastered the ways of the Alliance, its political ins and outs, but now he must learn the unseen ebbs and flows of the Verse. Now he needed to embrace the true struggle between order and chaos, the two sides of Tao Xu.

"Everything is ready." He sighed. "Blackwell's health has not improved. By this time next turn, brother, you will be at the head of the most powerful fleet the Alliance has ever known and I will be in the seat of power."

"And the parliament - will they go along?" The Minister's twin asked.

"Half of them will comply now if pressed. I have but one more, big obstacle to surmount and the others will fall in line." Loe concluded. "Have you taken care of the Vice Admiral?"

"Yes, he will no longer be a problem." Loe replied. "Only Blackwell is left."

"Do your job well brother and we will start a dynasty that will rival that of our ancestors. For now - take care of this Firefly."

"It will be done." The screen went black.

The minister snatched up the black bishop and after tapping it on the table nervously for a minute, tossed it in the box next to the other black pieces. Carl Tso, Admiral Pinkerton and now Minister Raven were no longer obstacles. But it appeared that simplicity was not part of this game, and elegance may have to be set aside. Was it Blackwell behind this Firefly or perhaps Jacobs? He thought for a moment on this latter possibility, then advanced the black queen's pawn two spaces. There might be more players in this game than he anticipated.

Loe's plan was delicate and carefully laid out. An unexpected third player could complicate things. But he could adjust to the additional player. What concerned him more was the chance that his current adversary might have figured out that Loe was in the game.

The minister coughed again and tucked the kerchief into his sleeve. The darkness in the room seemed to thicken, seeping in through the glass wall of full-length windows. Creeping in from the starless night outside. Morning would be coming soon to the world outside and with it the end of the nightly rains, the warmth of the sun, the lure of the vast seas and distractions. But for now the darkness permeated the Minister's surroundings and was starting to creep into his formerly optimistic mood.


	7. Chapter 7 Eavesdown

Chapter Seven – Eavesdown

The two Brown-coats picked their way through the crowd of silk vendors, caged animals and vegetable carts that made up the central avenue of Persephone's Eavesdown shopping district near the spaceport. Dust kicked up all around them as patrons shuffled from stall to stall looking for goods to buy, sell or trade. The air was dry and the sun hot, but a constant breeze off the northern slopes made the day bearable.

The spaceport itself was situated along a cliff edge overlooking a high dessert to the south. The market surrounded the port to the north and west. Goods came here from off world to the market and came to the market from all around to be shipped off world. By itself this market made Persephone an economic crossroads connecting the resources of the galaxy's first swirl arm to the core.

A small city of shipping containers sprung up around the port, making the shantytown of Eavesdown to the west. Just down the dusty road was the borough of Southdown with its olive groves, small low shaker buildings and Abbey, while up the road to the north the structures became more sturdy and permanent. This is where the business district was, with its high rise metal and glass structures, the hospital's antiseptic white composite and the municipal center. Beyond that was a commercial section, the Tarrydown parklands and the posh residential houses of Landsdown sprawling north to the foothills. The Landsdown spaceport stood at the far end with its towering antiseptic launch pads and richly appointed ships. The two sides of the Downs could not be more different, a testament to the dichotomy that was Persephone.

_"Tao zi! Tao zi! Dan Dan!"_ A vendor's cries drifted above the general crowd noise. "Peaches, Eggs"

Zoe and Mal talked casually as they wove their way through the market, occasionally stopping to look at a random trinket and make sure they were not being followed. A raucous puppet show entertained some children two stalls down, just across from a vendor selling fresh dog meat and some kind of fried bugs. All part of the carnival of this shantytown. Mal liked it here. He could fit in, get lost, but more than that. He liked the chaos of life.

"What about Zhou?" Mal asked, examining an apple carefully.

"Dead Sir."

"Dead? When did that happen? He tossed the apple back on the pile.

_"Ka li ji, Ka, Ma-ling-shu,"_ called another vendor as he tried to get Mal's attention. He held out a ladle full of something that was supposed to be curry chicken with potatoes, but Mal doubted it was really chicken. He just waved his hands and shook his head. He had a mild aversion to eating someone's former pet.

"Last year," Zoe answered scanning the crowd, "- could this be Niska?" She suggested in turn.

The two turned down a small alley, no more than a gap between two buildings made up of several stacked shipping containers. This was the way to Badger's place and it was usually adorned with a few large men with large weapons. Today, however, it was unoccupied. Perhaps they were later than Mal thought, later than Badger was willing to wait.

"In Lundium laying low I heard," Mal pointed out, casing the alley suspiciously. "… and this is not Niska's style. He'd want to look in my eyes while I twisted. What about Atherton? We didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

"Didn't know we were coming and even if he did, no local would have followed River down to the moon like that. Less he was crazy as her. It had to be an off-worlder."

"That was kindda crazy." Mal admitted, as they reached the weathered door at the end of the alley. The din of the market, now far behind them, diminished to a murmur, as the two looked back up the empty alley. No one was there. "Perhaps Badger can shed some light on this."

"Sir." Zoe stood firm and tall, as she always did when challenging the captain's train of thought. "We shouldn't rule out that the G8 was Alliance. Federal."

"Not aware that I had."

Mal stopped mid knock, looking at a notice posted on the door. The large yellow and red sign, written in Chinese, read 'building of poor quality and off limits' and was accompanied by standard municipal barrier tape of the same colors.

"Condemned?" He half laughed.

"Condemned, Sir." Zoe confirmed.

Mal stared in a cross taped window, wiping a small circle in the grime to make it clearer. A desk and chairs were still in the places he remembered and the door to the inner office stood ajar. The shadow of a ceiling fan turned inside, flashing across the floor just visible through the gap in the portal, telling him that the office was still in use. But it appeared to be empty now. Perhaps vacated in the last few minutes. Perhaps quickly.

"Now what is that slimy bastard up to…?"

As they stood outside the abandoned building a small metal sphere bounced down the alley to their feet. A flashing green light had just turned to yellow, reflecting in Zoe's big brown and startled eyes. Solid red would be the next stage, she knew that for sure, but neither wanted to be around for that.

"Grenade!" She announced.

Zoe grabbed the captain by the coat and jumped. The two crashed through the window and into the abandoned room moments before the fiery explosion blew the remaining glass into the chamber around them.

"_Wah de ma tee wuh duh pee-goo_!" Mal yelled in a growing rumble. "Badger!"

The two rumbled figure rose from the debris, shaking glass out of their hair and brushing rubble from their cloths. The ringing in their ears slowly subsided as they staggered to the inner office looking for cover. The two ex-soldiers didn't take long to remember their former profession and the rules that were associated with it. Weapons in hand, they came into the room low. Zoe covered back and left, Mal cleared forward and right.

The office was empty, but the desk still filled with the papers of Badger's dealings. The crime boss was still operating here. The back door, however, stood open in a way that indicated the occupants had left in a hurry. It was most unlike Badger to leave his office in such a state, unguarded and unlocked. Mal returned and examined the desk. Top most on the pile of random work papers and forged contracts was a large sheet with the words. 'Reynolds, MANDY'S, Dinner, 16:82.'

"He's obviously not comfortable being around us right now." Mal said, holding the paper up for Zoe to see.

"Can't imagine why, sir." Zoe picked another piece of glass from her hair. "Seein as we're so popular and all."

"Mandy's for an early dinner?" Mal suggested.

"We better get going, sir. Folks are starting to take notice." She pointed to the alley they'd come from.

"Back way might be best." He suggested.

"Seein as we're so popular and all." She agreed.


	8. Chapter 8 Blue Dragons

Chapter Eight – Blue Dragons

"I don't think the Cap'n would mind at all." Kaylee insisted in her most cheerful and convincing tone.

Kaylee and River crowded close around the crisp new 100 credit bill held gingerly in the engineer's greasy hands. She'd gotten it in change from Gunter's and looked on it as free money from a deal made good. River had watched quietly with wide eyed amazement, as Kaylee skillfully manipulate the chop shop owner into a deal on a pair of Asperators that he didn't even see coming. He'd thought she was buying the Keplar brand, high performance, inversion charged and wildly overpriced unit. Instead he had watched her leave with two refurbished Caprisons and a hundred in change. Furthermore, and this is the part he still couldn't figure, she had a new proximity alarm in the bag along with them and he seemed to think he should be happy about the deal, but he wasn't.

In front of the two girls now was a store window filled with coplex, rayvon and silk dresses, all colorful and draped to catch the eye of the passersby. Kaylee had her eye on one in particular that she felt River absolutely needed and she'd taken it upon herself to convince River of the same. The crowd of the market place bustled around them as Kaylee tugged at River, trying to persuade the reluctant girl to come in with her.

"You can't go on wearing that sack all the time." She persisted. "It aint fittin."

"It fits fine." River replied naively.

"That's not what I meant."

"But the blue dragons are so beautiful …"

River fawned over the pretty paper bill with the dragons wrapping around the likeness of Lundinium and Sihnon, a symbol of the great Alliance. Kaylee had to admit that it was pretty, for money, but down deep the engineer knew what money was for and she had a hankering to use it. River, on the other hand, looked on the bill as a thing on to its own, not an object with purpose or a placeholder for something else, but as beauty art.

"… and the Captain – he's always looking after how much we spend. I don't know." River added hesitantly.

"Oh pish! Capn's off getting a boat-load on money right now." Kaylee grabbed River by the arm and dragged her into the store. "He'll never miss this one."

A tiny bell rang as the two girls entered the store. The store's owner, a kindly looking, old oriental man had been watching them through the window and perked up as they came in.

"Now Missy, you should not be flashin your money around like that. Particularly not on a street like this one. You're bound to attract the wrong sort of folk." An oddly Irish accent came from the old gent.

"That's no mind." Kaylee answered. "It's all we got and we're fixin to spend it all right here and now."

To that the owner broke into a huge smile and showed them both to the fitting rooms with an armload of dresses.

"You take your time choosing and let me know when you're done." He added.

He settled back behind the counter and smiled at the two young girls as they chattered, laughed and tried on everything he brought. He didn't mind at all. The best advertising in this dusty market was a busy shop and he was soon looking after other customers. Eventually, though, the crowds thinned and the store was again empty, save for the two happy girls.

The pair were having so much fun that they hadn't noticed how the time was passing. Kaylee should have been back at the ship by now, checking on the refueling, installing the Asperator and the prox alarm, stowing her spare. But she hadn't just been a girl out with a friend for nearly two years. She needed the time off, time to unwind, time to be a kid – like River.

Kaylee handed River the dress that she fancied from the window, the one that she'd come in for. River took it hesitantly and retreated into the dressing stall while Kaylee sifted through the other dresses. The engineer thought it was about time the girl got some clothes of her own. The hand-me-downs and thrift shop rejects the captain had found for her were just not flattering on the girl. She was, after all, almost a grow woman. She needed to start looking like one. River returned shyly.

"Oh River." Kaylee mouthed incredulously. "You're gorgeous."

Kaylee had always thought that River was pretty, but she was usually dressed in some oversized sack or rumbled tunic. Now it was like she was looking at an entirely different person.

River looked in the mirror, not recognizing herself at first and then scrunched up her face uncomfortably at the stranger looking back at her. The dress was tight to her body, showing curves that typically hid under outsized frocks. The slit up one side was near to the hip, showing her long fluid leg ending in a rough boot. She liked what she saw, aside from the boot, but something about it just didn't feel right. Maybe she wasn't ready for a change just yet. Stability was more what she was after. Or maybe it was something else.

"I don't like it." She announced. "It's not me. I feel like I can't move."

"Honey, what do you have to move for when you look like that? They'll be comin to you."

"I want to try this one." River picked out a flowery, plainly cut silk sundress with short cap sleeves "Then we can go home."

The teen retreated back into the stall again, pleased that the strange woman in the mirror had stopped staring at her. Kaylee waited quietly outside the stall thinking about what River said. Serenity was home. It had become home to her too, though she sometimes missed her real home back on Harvest. It had become home to all of them, all of them but Simon.

"River, do you miss Osiris? Your home there?"

The stall became quiet and still.

"Serenity is home." River replied weakly. "I don't remember Osiris."

"I sometimes miss my Dad's shop, my family and all" Kaylee rambled, "and then I get to see them, you know, like last week and - well I was just wonderin that's all."

"Once I did. Part of me still does." River spoke lucidly now, for the first time in the past week.

She continued to change dresses, then she paused for a moment. It didn't feel safe. She flipped the evening dress over the stall door and wondered whose thoughts she was thinking.

"I don't think it is safe to go back yet." She paused a moment and pondered on this feeling of impending danger. "You should try on this one. It would look good on you"

"Don't you just want to go and visit?" Kaylee took the dress from the door, put it up to her overall covered body and look in the mirror to see how it looked. River was right; it would look good on her. "You know – just to see your family?"

River did not answer.

Kaylee set the dress beside their mechanical purchases from earlier in the day. She hadn't noticed the quiet beeping of her Com unit, now hidden under the dress, or the warning from her captain that it held inside. She also hadn't noticed the sun slowly moving west or the store clerk fidgeting impatiently as it got late. Nor had she noticed the tiny bell ringing three times as the shop door opened and three shady looking hooligans entered the store to check them out.

The lowlife street ruffians were suspiciously browsing through women's undergarments and working their way around to corner the two clueless shoppers. They barely even tried to hide their approach, but River was behind closed doors and Kaylee was lost in thought.

_Why didn't Simon feel the same way as River? Why did he want to make Serenity his home?_ She wondered. _And why was River so quiet._

Why Kaylee hadn't notices the trap closing around them was just part of who she was. The owner had noticed the thugs. This was his neighborhood and he knew what to expect from it. He'd slipped into the back room when they'd come in. Perhaps he left to call the authorities or perhaps just to stay out of harm's way. In any case, it was clear to him that trouble was coming.

River came out of the stall in the bright flowery summer dress just as the three men pulled out knives and made their move. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't known whom it was they were dealing with.

River grabbed Kaylee and pulled her past into the stall behind her and away from her attacker. Using the door to block the hood attacking from the right, she spun and kicked the second in the mouth with the bottom of her combat boot. Grabbing the arm of the first, and bending it back with a loud crack and scream, she used it to stab the third hood in the ribs, as he cut at the empty space where Kaylee had been. All three hit the ground nearly simultaneously, as Kaylee cowered in the stall, mouth agape with horror and wonder. The whole thing was over in only seconds.

"Are you alright Missy?" Exclaimed the store's owner, coming from the back room with his shotgun.

River smiled and curtsied. "I like this one."


	9. Chapter 9 Flowers

Chapter Nine – Flowers

Douglass Loe sat in a limousine outside a modest flower shop in the heart of Persephone's business district. He pondered his position for a moment as he waited for the owner of the shop to finish up with her current customer. He was the facilitator of action, his brother the maker of plans. This put him in positions that were often uncomfortable, but he almost preferred it that way.

His very life had been lived on the razors edge and he frankly didn't know any other way to live. Douglass did whatever his twin told him to do. Most would say that made him a lackey, but he knew better. He and Anthony were of the same mind. He was the other half of his twin.

His twins. Douglass chuckled. By all rights he was not really his twin, but his clone. Closer than a twin. The same. Douglass was created by Anthony's father, to harvest spare parts from, for his son as they grew older. The elder Loe had big plans for his son and mortality was not going to get in the way of those plans. Ironically it was his own mortality he needed to worry about and his son's strong desire for a sibling.

Few living knew this, only he and his brother now that the family was dead. It was his brother Anthony that changed their arrangement, a deal that included the assassination of his father to cement. An assassination that Douglass gladly performed.

The shopkeeper glanced up several times and waved to acknowledge that she knew he was there. Douglass smiled and waved back. She would be out in a minute, no doubt, with a large bouquet, a buttoner and a contract for him to sign listing the names of those he had paid to kill. The contract had been made the previous day, but this would define its limits and put a seal on it.

Douglass continued his thoughts. He felt no strong feelings of guilt for killing his father, as he believed his brother to be his only true blood relative. Anthony, on the other hand, did carry that baggage. But it was a necessary evil performed for the greater good. Together they took over the reigns of the Black Lotus society and the political machine that had been their father's and propelled them both to a new height that their father never could have managed.

Oddly it was their father's goals that they now perused, a united, peaceful Empire. This was his brother's goal now and he had done everything in his power to facilitate this goal. The Alliance had failed to control the people, just as they had failed to control themselves. He had expanded the Black Lotus Society to every planet in the future empire. He had elevated himself to the highest post in the military possible, considering his young age, at the right hand of the Vice Admiral of the sixth fleet. All to help his brother take control. The necessary control.

A gust of wind blew off the mountains into the labyrinth of high rises buildings. By the time the structures carved up the breeze into somewhat orthogonal components, there was only enough energy left to make the flower shops sign creek in a slow swing. Douglass smiled at the simple wooden sign, a black lotus on a purple background. As expected, the woman approached the limousine with a huge bouquet. Douglass accepted the flowers and briefly examined the list of names before signing the contract.

"Seven? Are you sure this is all?"

"That is all of them."


	10. Chapter 10 Appetizers

Chapter Ten – Appetizers

Zoe sat at the restaurant table nervously fidgeting with the candle flame. Mal sat across from her sipping at his drink and munching on a mixed plate of appetizers. The chatter in the room was subdued but the mood festive. It was still early for dinner, the sun still a few hours from setting. The crowds would not fill Mandy's until later.

Mandy's was respectfully quiet and the patrons were dressed for a night out, not in street clothes. The two Browncoats definitely looked out of place. The Maître'd eyed the two soldiers suspiciously as they waited.

"We've been here an hour, sir. I don't think Badger's coming."

"He'll be here." Mal poked at the Com unit while munching on a setay. "We still have his stuff – and you know how much Badger likes stuff."

"I just don't like sittin out in the open like this."

"I don't like it much myself." He gave up on the Com unit.

Neither needed to be nervous. Mandy's was a small but popular restaurant that was an unofficial safe place with the Persephone criminal element. From the lowest of the lowlifes to the most dangerous of assassins Mandy's was professionally off limits. Badger picked their meeting place wisely.

"What's keeping him?"

"Important people make you wait. He's letting us know we're on his turf." Mal pushed the appetizer plate toward her.

Zoe reluctantly picked out a spring roll and toyed with it. Badger came into Mandy's five minutes later with an entourage of thugs and a girl on each arm. The Maître'd walked toward him but was quickly waved off. Badger knew where he wanted to be and how he wanted to look. Important.

"I got it." Badger smiled and made his way to the table behind Mal's. He took a seat and tucked his napkin into his collar. "Allo Mal!"

"Badger."

"Been keeping busy I trust?" The slightly scruffy man asked facing away from the Browncoat.

"Fair bit. Stopped by your place earlier. Got an interesting welcome there. You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?"

"Ah Mal, you cut me. You know they're renovating down there. It ain't safe in that place no more. With the demolition, reconstruction and all, I ain't been down there for weeks."

"Funny – your office looked down-right lived in."

Badger took a moment and shifted his approach to the negotiation. "Honestly Mal, I've heard things. You are all the talk."

"So you hung me out there, is it?" Mal popped a small wonton in his mouth.

Badger's face flushed and an edge came to his voice.

"You done your own share of hangin folk out there. I ain't alive when so many of your other business partners are dead for no reason. I got contacts Mal. I know things."

"And what do your contacts tell you."

The waiter stopped at the businessman's table and delivered drinks. Badger waited for him to leave before he answered.

"They say to stay away from you, Mal."

Mal took a long draft of his own drink. "Did they happen to say why?"

"They say I should get my stuff, before you get yourself dead."

"Good then – we have a common interest." Mal suggested. "You want your stuff and I want to live. So I have a key for you, but my price has gone up."

Mal pulled a key out of his coat pocket and slapped it on the table in front of him. Badger's ears perked up at the sound but a frown crept onto his face.

'I'd like some answers, if you got them." Mal said.

"Ghaw, Mal –you really don't know - don't you listen to the news?" Badger finished his drink, stood and turned to Mal. He dropped a large bag of coins on the table and reached for the key. Mal slapped his hand on top of Badger's. "You've seen too much Mal. Check who's gone missing, then ask yourself, where you been that you shouldn't a been, what did you see that you shouldn't have seen."

"Care to be a little more specific?"

Badger smiled, snapped up the key and stuffed it in his pocket. "It's what you started Mal. You know what I'm talking about, all that goings on last year."

Mal nodded, not really wanting to remember that episode in his life.

"You done good, oughta get a medal - but you put yourself in the middle of it again."

"The middle – middle of what?"

"It's coming apart at the seams, because of what you done, the Parliament and all. They're grabbin for power and your fallin down on the wrong side of both sides. It's a lose-lose situation. Bad karma."

Mal's look was as perplexed as when this conversation started. He hadn't done anything but ship and sell since Blue Star. Badger put out an arm to each of his young woman. They took an arm each and off they went.

"Good luck Mal." He laughed as he left.

Mal looked at Zoe wracking his brain.

"I ain't seen nothing – you seen anything?"

"No sir."

"You know anyone in Parliament?"

"No sir." She replied. "This is fung luh. "


	11. Chapter 11 The Black Queen

Chapter Eleven – The Black Queen

Minister Jacobs entered the governor's office flanked by an entourage of bodyguards. The man that pushed in the door appeared to displace an even metric ton, while the smaller ones to the left and right quickly cased the rest of the office at near the speed of light. Another three just like them brought up the rear. He disliked the cumbersome nature of moving through executive offices with such a bulky suit of armor but recognized its necessity in light of recent events.

"Minister Jacobs! To what do I own this – invasion?" The bulky governor stood behind his desk, looking from one large mercenary to the next and nervously plotting an escape route.

"Relax Charlie," The Minister of Commerce cajoled, extending his hand in greeting. "I have urgent need of a Vidcom, in private, and you are just the lucky soul that I get to displace."

It was unmistakable the man was in a hurry and, as he escorted the governor politely by the hand to his own office door, he assured the man amid his feeble sputtering of protest that it wouldn't take long. Truth be told the governor was relieved to be out of there. Of course, nothing says important like using an important man's office for your business. The governor waited outside standing between two men in shades and black suites, nursing his slightly wounded ego.

The tall, slender Minister seated himself behind the governor's desk and switched on the Com unit. He looked large and imposing even though the chair in which he sat was clearly made for a much wider man. His demeanor filled the ample space with a graceful casualness that contradicted his current inner turmoil.

"What news do you have for me Commander?" He asked politely as the form took shape on the screen.

"Very little I'm afraid. Sorry Minister." The officer apologized. "It appears that Minister Raven's convoy was attacked, but by whom is still unclear. All perished. Captain Loe reports the loss of the Minister's ship and one of his G8 escorts. "

"I had heard rumors." The minister's look was relaxed but curious. "What happened?"

"According to the captain's report they were attacked by pirates."

"and where did this all happen?"

"That is still not clear to us Sir. The data and the reports do not agree. It appears they were not where they were supposed to be. Outer band of Persephone."

"Pirates near Persephone?"

"That is what the report says, sir."

"Thing have gotten bad, I admit, but that is still hard to believe."

This was the third Minister to die within the last month, and Jacobs was starting to get nervous. The 1400 pounds of black suites around him weren't making him feel any better. Someone was making a power play for the parliament, as hadn't been seen for a century.

Andrew Jacobs had thought the Alliance was stronger than this. All of one year ago he would have denied that any such disintegration could have happened. No other minister believed more in the integrity of the Alliance than he, but none-the-less here it was. Planets vying for power in a new landscape resembling a gladiator's arena more than a federation of equal states. Ministers extorting, poisoning and assassinating one another. Jacobs shook his head, his face was drawn with concern.

"Do they have any leads on the culprits?" The Ministers asked, his demeanor calm.

"Loe is putting inquiries out on a Firefly, captained by a Malcolm Reynolds. A possible Independence terrorist Sir."

The Minister laughed. "A Firefly? He can't be serious."

"They have a suspicious past Sir. And Reynolds fits the profile."

"I have heard of this Reynolds before. He is a thief and smuggler. Didn't he heist the Laceter?"

"Yes sir, that's the one." The Commander confirmed.

"I'd heard he fell in with Jayne Cobb and turned a new leaf. Doing good for folk on the rim. Not the type to get into the thick of a political battle Commander. Particularly one where the sides are not clearly defined."

"I beg to differ with you Minister. He is an Independent and an idealist. He is exactly the type - and I'm not at all sure that this Jayne Cobb really exists. Folk heroes rarely do."

"So whom is he fighting for – this idealist?" This was the key thing on Minister Jacobs' mind. Who was killing off his fellow ministers?

"At this point Sir, it hardly matters. If they were involved we have to send a message."

"Have it your way, they are likely of no consequence anyways. Find out what you can."

"Yes, Sir."

"But Commander - I need to know who is behind all this. If there is even a chance that this Firefly was involved in the Minister's assassination, you can eliminate them and send your message, but first I'd like to talk to this Malcolm Reynolds."

"Yes Sir."

The Minister switched the Vidcom off and relinquished the office back to the governor. As he said his jovial goodbyes to a nervous Charlie, the Minister pondered what this new twist in Post-Miranda parliamentary politics could mean. Another powerful contender for leadership in the new government was dead, this one an ally of his. The field was narrowing and the stakes were rising. Was Blackwell consolidating his power or was someone else working here? He would have to be more careful in the near future. The Alliance itself may hang in the balance.


	12. Chapter 12 Hunted

Chapter Twelve - Hunted

Jayne hefted a pack to his back and shoved a second into Simon's arms. They had dropped off the goods at the warehouse, located an arms dealer and made three different contacts since leaving that morning. Jayne had just finished his last exchange with the final unseen vendor, a half dozen grenades and two pair of expensive surveillance binoculars. Jayne seemed as giddy as a child with a bag full of new toys. Simon was getting anxious.

"Now can we go to Saint Teresa's?" The doctor asked.

"Sure doc, whatever. I got what I need. You got the rest." Jayne tossed what was left of the money over to the doctor. "Lead on."

The two left the third and final shop loaded with everything Jayne could think they might need for a good gunfight.

"You see those two?" Simon pointed out incon-spicuously.

"Yeah, what about em?"

"Well, while you've been buying every explosive device on the planet, they've been following us for two hours."

"_Tsai boo shr!"_ His grin betrayed his overwhelming desire to test out some of the new ordinance he had just purchased. "Their timing couldn't be better."

"You're not suggesting that we kill them?"

"Fur-dang-sure."

"In all these crowds?"

"Well no Doc, I ain't stupid." Jayne chided. "I'd let them follow us to a good spot."

"But who are they?"

"Not sure I care. Probly thems that attacked us yesterday, or some such. Just look like thugs to me."

The doctor didn't like Jayne's willingness to resort directly to violence. Killing just didn't make sense to the doctor and the look on his face showed it.

"What?" Jayne barked irritably.

"Thugs don't generally have gunships, so they were likely hired."

"So?"

" I have a better idea, one that involves less killing and us finding out who hired them. Maybe even who really tried to kill us yesterday." The doctor suggested.

"Huh." Jayne grunted skeptically.

"And there is likely to be more money in it than just their pocket change." Simon added to get Jayne's attention. The only thing that seemed to distract him from mayhem and destruction was the potential to being paid for it.

"Well sure – let's hear it Doc."

"I suggest we give these guys the slip and follow them for a change. They will undoubtedly lead us back to whoever hired them."

"Right – then what?"

"We can use those new telephoto-imagers you just bought to get a look at the real people behind yesterday's attack."

"Use what? Oh the binoc-cams." Jayne quipped. He liked to make the doc feel stupid when he could. "So how we gonna give them the slip – with you bein all – you and all?"

"I've learned a bit from my sister in the last year, or I'd like to think."

Simon had in fact learned some tricks from her, though most were in the form of games that she forced him to play onboard Serenity. He and River would play these games during their down time, different ways of climbing or hiding. Making themselves look like other things entirely or just holding perfectly still. Simon though it had been a sibling thing, a kind of re-bonding, but he soon came to realize that these games were a form of defense training seeping out of her teenaged brain, remnants of the programming she had undergone in the Alliance weapons laboratory.

"Where we goin?"

"To the hospital, like we planned." Simon explained.

"I thought we was gonna follow them fellas."

"Not before I get my supplies."


	13. Chapter 13 A Beautiful Day

Chapter Thirteen – A Beautiful Day

Tarrydown park was lush and green and unlike anything else in the high desert landscape of the Downs. Nestled between the business district and the residential area of the northern slopes, the park offered the wealthier an escape from the dry dusty flats of Eavesdown. Short of traveling south to the Abby or north over the mountains, it was the only place in the downs to find a tree.

Inara sat on a low stone bench in the shade of one of these trees, watching the central fountain spurting water in a playful synchronized dance that nearly made her forget about the throbbing in her temples. Tyler, her client for the day, was a dozen or so meters away purchasing icy lemon drinks to help combat the heat of the late afternoon sun.

Just a businessman, he'd said, that's all he was. Looking for some companionship while far away from home. But he was so much more than that. He was a gentleman.

Tyler insisted that he was single, but Inara had trouble believing a man like him was not taken by someone. He knew just how to act after she'd made such a fool of herself, a talent only the most experienced mates typically had.

"Here you go." He handed Inara a cool glass of pinkish liquid.

"Thank you." She immediately pressed the side of the glass to her forehead, savoring the cool wetness of the make shift compress.

"Are you sure you'll be alright." He asked as he sat next to the Companion.

A light breeze brushed against her moistened face, cooling her and relaxing the pounding to a dull throb. She slid the pink vessel down her long neck and let it come to rest on her chest, apparently unaware of how provocative that action was.

"Oh this is much better." She replied. "I am so sorry, I don't know…"

"Don't apologize," Tyler slid his own glass across his forehead, even though he did not need it. "I completely understand. The heat can be oppressive."

It was in fact, not. The temperature was moderate and the breeze cool. Inara recognized chivalry, even when masked in small actions. She rested her head on his shoulder was smiled.

"Well you've been more than understanding and I thank you for that."

Tyler was everything she could have asked for in a beau. He was pleasant and respectful and adhered to the contract willingly without making it seem like a burden. His conversation was witty and spontaneous and, as a companion for the day, he had provided her as much enjoyment as she him. They spent the whole day together and were preparing to spend the whole night. It was a very agreeable fantasy, which is after all what he had paid for. Even so, Inara had been distracted all day. She'd had to apologies more than once for having drifted into thought or for letting the conversation fall silent. It was not her way and not professional behavior for a licensed Companion.

"So what was that all about – back there?"

"Oh, you mean the poor woman I accosted." Inara snapped sardonically.

"Well I wasn't going to put it that way, but yes - the poor woman you accosted."

"I'd tell you it was nothing, but you wouldn't believe me would you?"

"Probably not," Tyler laughed. "Come on, you can tell me."

And for some reason Inara felt like she could.

"I thought she was someone else."

"Well that much is apparent, whom?"

"An old friend – an old dead friend – You wouldn't…." Her voice was almost a whisper, as the words seemed to stick in her throat. She took a sip of her drink to loosen the tightness.

"Oooh," Tyler replied as he put his arm around her. "I just might know a bit more about that than you'd think."

Inara looked up at the man with her wide, questioning eyes. There was obviously more to the man than 'just a businessman', but she wasn't sure whether she could handle supporting a pleasant conversation just now. She moved the class back to her head.

"A few years back, almost a decade now," the man continued, "my wife died."

"I'm so sorry. How?" She felt foolish immediately after the question spilled from her lips and blushed noticeably.

"How is not important. What is important, at least for your current situation, was that I kept seeing her. For at least two years afterwards. I would see her in a crowd, at convention, in a park just like this. I thought I was going crazy. Sometimes I still see her, but now I know I'm not crazy. It is quite normal."

"Was she trying to tell you something?"

"Sometimes. Is this friend of yours – what is her name?"

"Nandy." She put the glass to her lips again as her throat choked up, more to hide her weakness than to drink.

"Is Nandy trying to tell you something?"

Inara nodded but could not speak. It was comforting to know that she was not going nuts, but what her dead friend was telling her was not that clear, and not something she wanted to share. Not just yet anyways.

"Perhaps she is telling you to get on with your life?"

"Perhaps." Inara thought it was more likely she was telling to get on with her job. She composed herself, getting a grip on the moment. "Or perhaps she was trying to tell me that a wonderful man is taking me out to diner and I should not be dwelling on my past as much as his present."

"Diner?"

"Diner." She confirmed.

"Well then, I think I might just know a place that will be good for both of us."

Inara smiled as Tyler rose and offered his arm. Her head was feeling better and Nandy's words were not so loud in her minds ears. Now just a whisper. 'It's not too late. It's not too late.'


	14. Chapter 14 Turn About is Fair Play

Chapter Fourteen – Turn About Is Fair Play

Oddly, while River Tam was feeling more and more at home on Serenity, Simon Tam was feeling less and less so. River was adjusting well to life on the frontier of the galaxy. She seemed to be in control of her internal weapons to the point that he didn't even need the safe word anymore. She was fitting into a new role on Serenity, while Simon seemed to be stuck in the same rut as always. In short, he felt that he was no longer needed. So this adventure of his with Jayne was more important than just a shopping trip.

"Follow me." Simon snapped, trying to sound authoritative.

Simon knew something had to change. His desire to return to Core society and to the hospital couldn't wait forever. It was like his father had said in his letter; it was time to come home. Even Kaylee couldn't make him feel like he belonged on Serenity, and god knows she tried her hardest. If things were going to change, he'd have to do it himself and there was no better time to start than now, no better place to start than with Jayne. So today he would use Jayne, help out the captain out of this jam and prove his worth. If it didn't work out, he'd have to accept his father's proposal and pray River would too.

"Well I'm all for this plan of yours, if there's money in it." The mercenary said. "Whatta we gonna do?"

Perhaps this scheme to follow the men tailing them was just his way of trying to be more relevant, convincing himself that he belonged, but there was no turning back now. He needed to prove that he could be useful outside a Hospital. But just now he wondered if he was up to it?

The two men lugged their packs through the crowded Eavesdown main street and headed north. Simon sizing up each side streets and alleys as they made their way to the hospital, looking for one that would work. Finally he found one that suited his plan. Jayne occasionally caught a glimpse of their two shadows at a respectful distance, but they didn't seem to know that they had been made. Simon noted the name of the alley and then proceeded to Saint Teresa's.

"Them two are pretty good trackers for thugs. Good at the craft." Jayne observed as the entered the hospital. "I bet they been trained."

"You just stick by me." Simon ordered. "If this is going to work they need to lose us both at the same time."

"What ever you say, Doc."

Simon took care of what they needed at the hospital quickly enough. They picked up the supplies they needed at the supplemental care clinic. There was always someone there that wanted to turn a small profit on the excess in their supplies. They left the clinic with their shadows still following at a respectable distance, perhaps waiting for the two hunted to get to a less respectable part of town. Simon and Jayne backtracked toward the docks until they found the alley the doctor had scoped out earlier.

"Up here." The doctor instructed.

"You do know that's a dead end."

"I'm betting that they know too, but it looks perfect."

"Perfect for what?"

"Just go." Simon snapped.

"You don't got to get snippy."

They ran quickly down the alley and through an arch near the end, by the trash bins.

"What now – smart guy?" Jayne threw his hands up in exasperation. "Now they got us cornered."

"Now we play hide and seek." Simon laughed. "River and I do this all the time."

After a short explanation they threw their packs under some garbage and linked arms behind. Back to back, they walked up the side of the narrow alley, Jayne's feet against one wall and Simon's on the other, until they were hidden behind the arch and completely out of sight.

"This is _go tsau de fung luh_."

"Shhh."

The hunters turned into the alley about a minute later. Simon could just see their confused faces over the arch. They were only some twenty feet below the precariously wedged duo, but it had done the trick. Their reaction was just as Simon had planned. The hunters were mystified. After a quick casing the alley they made there way back into the crowded street seeking their lost prey and chiding one another for having taken the wrong turn.

"So lil-sister taught you that? Good job Doc." Jayne congratulated him with a slap on the back after they dropped to the ground. "Now it's my turn. You folla me and we'll track these suckers to the big money."

Simon felt oddly satisfied with himself, as he retrieved their packs, though at the moment he was wondering why. He was now in the precarious position of being a hunter, something he was ill prepared to do well. He was also in the unenviable position of relying on Jayne. Surely he would not survive the night.


	15. Chapter 15 A New Perspective

Chapter Fifteen – A New Perspective

Malcolm Reynolds never considered himself an overly intelligent man, but he knew when something felt wrong and this felt wrong. It felt about as wrong as anything he'd felt in a long time. What bothered him about it most was that he could not put his finger on why someone would want to kill him just now. His last job for Badger had been pretty much on the up-and-up, as were the three before it. No reason for bad feelings, no reason for attacking the ship. No reason to blow him up.

Zoe and he had eliminated just about anyone that might want him dead, leaving only fans of River and Blue Star as possibilities. Smugglers and Pirates wouldn't operate this close to a way station as popular and policed as Persephone. It just wasn't done. As for the Alliance, they had made no attempt to eliminate them when they had them in the palm of their hands. They had the better part of a year to liquidate Mal, River, all of them if they'd wanted. Mal could see no reason why they would have waited until now.

Perhaps it was a simple case of mistaken identity, but then why the grenade outside Badger's office? Things just didn't add up.

That is not to say that someone trying to kill him was unusual, it was in fact quite a normal occurrence, but Reynolds could always figure the 'why' of the situation. More times than not he'd figured 'why' before the person doing the trying did. That allowed him to develop some sort of plan. But this time all he had was a bad feeling. The kind of felling he'd had many times in combat when his Unit was hung out on its own. Trusting those feelings had kept him and Zoe alive during the war and for a decade since then, but nonetheless they were unsettling. He dug deeper in his memory but could only produce more uneasiness.

Mal motioned to the waiter for their check. It was there in an instant. This waiter had wanted them out long ago. Perhaps they didn't fit the décor. Just to spite him, Mal took up his glass and settled back in his chair for one last drink. He didn't like being looked down on, almost as much as he didn't like being shot at.

He looked across the table at his first officer straining her mind to develop some sort of angle on their situation. She was absent-mindedly dissecting their appetizers with her hunting knife and poking at the splayed contents on the plate. Mal suddenly understood why the waiter was so desperate to move the two out. Their neighbors were as unsettled as they were, but for entirely different reasons. He had to admit, Zoe could be intimidating.

Normally a situation like this would call for a stiff round of something liquid, but neither felt like they had the luxury. Now was one of the times Mal missed Shepherd Book and his sound, albeit spiritual counsel. Even though he generally ignored Book's advice, seeing things through other eyes gave him a new perspective. Since his passing Mal had come to recognize how much he had relied on that perspective.

"Sir - we should either start drinking profusely or get back to the ship." Zoe interjected. "Either way, I think we may need a new perspective on things. Maybe just move on."

"Right." Mal replied, wondering when Zoe had picked up River's knack of reading minds.

The two left their tab on the table and made their way to the door. The waiter hovered behind them the whole way, which made them both feel wholly unwelcome. Leaving was actually a welcome relief. Both felt more in their element in the open. The streets were now comparatively empty as the vendors packed up their cards in the early light of dusk. Surveying their surroundings was much easier.

"Sir - Badger knew about what happened - last year and last night. How can he know about that?"

"I'm guessing his contacts."

"Do you think the Alliance is trying to clean up?"

"No, I don't think so. Why now - they've had better opportunities - and they're not Badger's type. Badger's contacts are likely to be a little more down to earth, if their not crawling under it."

"What did Badger mean about us seeing too much. All I see is folk trying to kill us."

"Maybe that's because it's us doing the looking." Mal suggested. "We need the perspective of someone who's not getting shot at."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this - but maybe we should get Jayne's opinion?"

Mal looked at his first mate with a somewhat more than skeptical look. It wasn't like Zoe to think like that without a belly full of some sort of spirits.

"Not sure that's the perspective I was talking about. I was thinking more - the doctor?"


	16. Chapter 16 The Flower Shop

Chapter Sixteen – The Flower Shop

Jayne Cobb may not have been good at many things, but he was very good at tracking and, for a big man that normally stood out in a crowd, he could blend in really well when he wanted to. Simon was beginning to feel that he was the one that stood out.

Still, the two hunters had now become the hunted, as Jayne and Simon followed them through the crowd. They searched every alley in the vicinity, returned all the way back to the hospital and back again to the edge of the spaceport. It took the two thugs nearly two hours to give up the search and accept that they had lost their marks. The smaller of the two paid the larger some bills and then they split up.

"Follow the small one. He's headed back to report to the boss." The doctor said.

"Gotcha. The one with the money."

Jayne Cobb and Simon Tam followed the lone thug to a completely new area of town. As they went the crowds thinned and the buildings grew in height and value. Soon the streets merchants, hawkers and shoppers were gone. This was the business district, frequented by the rich and important. Limos and cabs occupied these streets in place of the carts and livestock.

Simon became instantly less conspicuous among the bankers and doctors in the area, but Jayne's presence required them to keep their distance. Their mark took an exceeding amount of care to make sure he was not followed, but Jayne's skill, experience and patience turned out to be superior. Another hour of following and their mark stopped on an unremarkable street corner and waited. There, Simon and Jayne found a comfortable out of the way place to keep watch.

"So what's he waitin for?"

"His contact, no doubt."

"Picked a strange place," Jayne observed. "out in the open like that."

"In some circles – out in the open is the least conspicuous."

Jayne pulled out a new pare of telephoto, digitally enhanced, gas jet stabilized, recording binoculars that would have made any techie drool with envy. He then proceeded to case the surroundings. An office building, a lunch spot, two closed up street vendors, a flower shop, a printer, a publishing house and a bank machine. It was a typical corner in any business district.

Simon considered Jayne's talent as they sat. He could see why Captain Reynolds might want someone like Jayne around, though it came with a great deal of risk. He had to be managed. Simon was learning this, and thought he might even get to enjoy the sense of power that accompanied it. Jayne eagerly watched their mark and paid the doctor no attention.

The key to Jayne was money. That was plain to see. Simon's thoughts wandered to the other members of the crew. What might their key be? Zoe, loyalty and trust, that was obvious, something she'd never have with him. Inara, another easy one, though she would never admit it. Kaylee.

Kaylee.

He smiled. She was such a conundrum in his eyes. As a mechanic she was like the most sensitive nurse and the most skilled surgeon he had ever know, wrapped up into one person. What he could do in the hospital, she could do ten fold in an engine room. How she kept Serenity flying was a source of wonder to him and sometimes an uneasiness that kept him up nights. In a hospital he had backup, he had support, his life was never in the balance. Kaylee? Simon didn't know how she did it. And her passion, her innocence, it perplexed him. He smiled again.

Why was she on Serenity? He was not sure that there was a key to Kaylee. For that matter – why was he on Serenity? River? That wasn't altogether true any more. River was more at home here than anywhere, since the academy stole her away. So why was he still here?

"Hey Doc." Jayne nudged him back to the present.

A well-dressed woman came from an odd flower shop in the building behind their mark. She bowed to the waiting man handing his a bouquet. They talked briefly and then she slapped him full across the face. He bowed and left like a scolded dog.

"Ooo that had to hurt." Jayne joked. He snapped a few close-up pictures of the woman just for fun. "She's kindda hot. Well? Let's go get her."

"No, not her. She's not the one." Simon put his hand on Jayne's shoulder to keep him down while the woman returned to her shop. A single black lotus adorned the sign that hung over the door. Jayne snapped a picture of it and grumbled impatiently.

Moments after the short man had left, three ragged, beat up hoods came to wait on the corner. Again the woman came out and bowed, again she handed them flowers and again she did not get the news she was wanting. This time she just turned and walked away from the three. They seemed to protest, obviously expecting more than flowers from the woman. She just turned on them with a rather large gun that she seemed to produce from nowhere, and they quickly left.

"What kindda business is she runnin?"

"She is just middle level management." The doctor answered. "Not the client.'

"How do you know so much about this anyway?"

"I had to deal with a lot of folks just like this to spring River from that damnable laboratory they had her in." Simon responded. "The underground, organized crime, dissidents, you tend not to forget that sort of thing."

"Oh – makes sense." Jayne mused. "Now what?"

"Now we wait."

"Ain't that what we been doing?"


	17. Chapter 17 Port Lock

Chapter Seventeen – Port Lock

Serenity visited many planets in the Verse, but Persephone was the most frequented. Persephone had a nearly earth like gravity and a climate much like its northern central plains. But it was Persephone's location at the base of the resource rich first spiral arm that made it so convenient.

Many planets claimed to be like in make-up and climate to Earth-that-was. Some even claimed that they were Earth-that-was. Of those the nearest to truth was beautiful, lush green and highly technological Harvest, Kaylee's home. The size, density, water content, land characteristics, pretty much everything was spot on. It was, however, on entirely the wrong arm of the galaxy. It was also too far out on the arm to be a useful way station. Persephone by contrast was mostly high desert and ranch land, much like Mal's home planet Shadow had been before the war devastated it. Persephone was far easier to find than either one.

Truth be told, it was not hard to find Earth-that-was. Its location was well documented if you took the trouble. It was not the finding that was difficult; it was the believing once you saw it that you hadn't made some sort of navigation mistake. Seeing the complete devastation of a planet that was akin to Eden in legend sent most people into denial. They must have found the wrong place. Short of a war, like on Shadow, or cosmic catastrophe, like the nova that ate the Kerry system, no planet had been so raped of resource. Earth-that-was was a planet completely harvested of anything worth having. A wasteland.

Persephone was a far cry from Earth-that-was, or even from Harvest, but it did stand between the affluence of the Core and the rich resources of the outer rim. It was where fortunes were being made, where the adventurous were becoming respectably rich. It also was the home to Eavesdown spaceport, a near perfect way station for a freighter like Mal's Serenity.

Perhaps it was its similarity to Shadow that drew Mal back to Persephone, or perhaps, like a moth to flame, it was the wild nature and promise of better that attracted him. Persephone may not have been home, but it was one of the few places left where he felt at home. That was surely now in jeopardy.

Kaylee sat at Serenity's galley table stammering as she recited her story. She held the Asperator in one hand and beautiful evening dress in the other, as she tried to explain why they were late. She was still a bit flustered by the ordeal. The captain stood over his engineer, a hand on each of her shoulders and his attention focused on her rambling.

"Slow down Kaylee, tell me again. Why did these guys jump you?"

"They wanted our blue dragons." River answered from across the room, spinning in her new dress.

"The store owner thought they wanted our money, but don't they usually ask for it before they try and stick you, Cap'n?"

"They do, if that is what they're after."

"But River put a stop to them real quick like."

"Good girl." Mal nodded.

"You think they wanted us dead Cap'n?"

"I surely do, but I don't know why." He said looking down at the deck. Until now he'd thought that he was the target, but now. "Me and Zoe maybe, even Jayne – well Jayne – but you two, it doesn't make any sense. Badger seems to think we witnessed something we shouldn't have seen."

"The sad atoms." River stated assuredly. "They were running away."

"No River, no. Something to do with the Alliance Parliament and the Reavers. Badger wasn't too specific." Mal was not sure of anything now, but he knew they were in trouble and they were in no position to know how much or how deep.

"You think maybe it was that Minister that got killed yesterday?" Kaylee's expression said, 'how dumb can you get?' without ever having to say the words.

River was nodding emphatically. "The atoms."

"Minister? What Minister?" Mal looked confused.

"Gaw Cap'n, it's been all over the cortex. All they been talking about all day. Supposed to be comin in at Landsdown, you know, like all the important folks. But he was ambushed by pirates or some such. The minister and one of his escort was lost."

"Landsdown you said?"

"Yes Cap'n."

"We weren't nowhere near the Landsdown entry?" Mal pondered this information while River lost interest and wandered away.

"Think they was maybe the same pirates that attacked us, Cap'n?"

"Not sure Kaylee." Mal had too many things on his mind, but chief on his mind now was the welfare of his crew, mainly Inara. Attacking him he halfway understood, plenty of folk might do that, but they attacked Kaylee and River. It couldn't be a coincidence. "So you're both Ok?"

"Right as rain." River said, spinning into a curtsey.

Zoe entered the galley to join the others. "Why do we bother giving them the Com units if they never answer them."

"Nothing from Jayne?"

"Or the Doctor." Zoe added.

Mal wasn't worried about Jayne or the doctor yet, but Inara was nagging at his mind. Being out of contact was expected. She always turned off her Com unit when she was on the job. Still he didn't like it. Half his crew had been attacked since landing and the other half was out of contact. All he wanted now was to gather his crew and leave. Even though Inara may have been in a better part of town, she was the least prepared to handle an attack. Kaylee was lucky to be with River and the Doc was with Jayne. Who was Inara with? The question bothered him more than he thought it would.

"Simon and Jayne are fine," laughed River. "They're playing games."

"What is she talking about? What is she talking about?" Mal looked from Zoe to Kaylee.

"I think it means they're fine, sir." Zoe reassured.

"How can she know that?"

"I just don't question it anymore, sir. Been right too many times."

"Ok then. Kaylee. Get me a fix on where Inara's shuttle is and make sure…"

"Yes Cap'n. We'll be ready to leave as soon as she's back. I'll get you those coords."

"Good. I don't like Inara being out on her own." The captain seemed a bit frazzled. "And you keep after Jayne."

"Yes Cap'n." Kaylee reassured him smiling sweetly.

River stopped dancing abruptly and stared with a concerned look off into space. Wash stood by the door to the bridge, beckoning River to follow. She drifted slowly out of the room toward the bridge.

"Does anyone else hate when she does that?" Mal asked.

They all followed River to the Bridge. As they entered a Vidcast came across the monitor.

"Firefly Serenity. You are on port lockdown. Captain Reynolds. Please stand ready for a commerce department review. The Port Authority will be expecting you at Ridley Office building, suite 853 promptly at 26:16 uts. Press Vidcom 'exp' for details. This has been message 2939."

With every fiber of his being Mal wanted to be off of this planet. It was now the source of all that was wrong in the Verse. And now this.

"Could things be going to hell any quicker?"


	18. Chapter 18 Landsdown

Chapter Eighteen - Landsdown

Mal muttered a long string of curses to himself as Zoe drove the mule through the fancy streets of a rather rich residential section of Persephone's gentry. The last time Mal had been in Landsdown, he had hired a cab to take Kaylee and himself to a ball. That time he ended up with a sword in the shoulder. This time they were riding on the back of a shabby hovercraft and hoping for a better outcome. From the staring of the people that they past along the way, Mal had serious doubts. They looked markedly out of place. Thankfully dusk was waning to darkness and only two of the three moons were visible.

Standing out, however, was the least of Mal's worries. The Doctor and Jayne were still missing, Serenity was on port lockdown and Inara was in some kind on unspecified trouble that River could not identify more precisely than a persistent whining mantra of 'She should come home now. Tell her to come home now.' Retrieving Inara had taken on the highest priority.

As expected her Com unit was not on. Mal was finding this to be a repeating irritation for the day. Following Kaylee's directions, however, was bringing them closer to what he was sure would be an embarrassing moment. He had never directly interfered with Inara's business before, but he could think of no better time to start. She was probably fine, out here with the high-class folks, but he had to at least confirm that. He'd put up with her wrath for the comfort of knowing she was safe. After confirming that, he could secretly stake out her shuttle from a safe distance for the rest of the night.

Mal sat next to his first officer questioning his own motives. Secret stake out? Was he really here to check on the safety of a crewmember or was he purposely butting his nose into Inara's affairs. He was lying to himself if he said it didn't bother him. It did, and since Blue Star, it did a lot. He didn't know how it would work – but he wanted her.

"Sir, we're here. Sir?"

"Right." Mal wrestled himself back from his thoughts. "Let's go."

River sat in the pilot's chair on the bridge, hugging her knees and digging her toes into its thick woolly covering. She looked at Wash, sitting all ghostly on the console. They both sat in silence and just stared at each other for the longest time, River wiggling her toes and Wash fidgeting with his fingers and cracking his knuckles.

A ghost cracking his knuckles emitted no sound, making it fairly useless. Which was exactly how River felt. Useless.

"Never could over-ride a lockdown." Wash mused.

"She should come home." River mumbled.

The flicker of candlelight danced on the veiled walls of Inara's shuttle while thin wisps of incense infused with the smells of citrus and flowers curled their way to the metal ceiling. Carefully draped curtains separated the cockpit and entry from the bedchamber, keeping the fading light of the sunset and the beeps and flashes of the console from tainting the skillfully architected atmosphere. Inara's quiet rhythmic cooing produced a soft, low song of pleasure for her lover's ears as it filled the darkened room. She pulled him closer. He caressed her, gently stroking her hair as they made love, attentive to her voice, her breathing, her movement, drawing as much pleasure from her pleasure as from his own.

Visions of her friend Nandy had let her alone since diner. Inara had managed not to let it distract her from her work, or the good time they were having. She told herself, It was all well and good to see an old dead friend in a dream, but she was not asleep and it was interfering with her waking life, interfering with her job. That had to stop. She had conquered this challenge through shear determination.

Had it been Mal's face and voice she would have been better prepared. She had learned long ago how to get him out of her mind when she was working. He had supplied her with ample instances of insensitivity to draw from over the past years. She could have handled that. Perhaps it was the events of the previous day, or just returning Serenity in general that had her on edge. Things were not the same on Serenity. No matter how hard Mal tried, no matter how hard she tried. Things were just different.

Only now back in her shuttle, after a wonderful diner and a sunset walk alone the Landsdown heights, did she relax. She was in her sanctuary, and she refused to let old memories bother her any further. She refused to let Mal bother her. Inara finally let herself go.

Looking into Tyler's eyes she could see, this was a good man, a gentle man. She could feel it in his touch, in the soft crooning in his voice, in the firm strength of his muscles. She felt safe in his embrace. As he filled her, the troubles faded, the danger diminished, the visions dissipated. There was only she and he in the cushions of her shuttle, sheltered from the rest of the world; away from what ever it was Nandi's vision was tying to tell her.

Slowly, quietly the feeling crept back. Something was missing. She couldn't put her finger on it. Something missing, or something there that should not have been. She felt odd – like they were being watched. Like…

Tyler's body abruptly tensed and fell to hers, pressing heavily down, slumped and limp. This was not right. The warm moistness of his chest against her was not that of passionate sweat but the fast oozing of blood. A sharp pain pricked at her ribs as the point of her own decorative blade protruded from his chest.

"Ty…?"

Inara's eyes widened with horror as she tried to move, but Tyler's dead weight on her made it hard to even breath. A pair of leather gloved hands clenched quickly and firmly around her slender throat, squelching any scream she might make at its source. The peace and tranquility of Landsdown would not be disturbed by her death.

"Shhh."

The deep voice comforted as his victim squirmed and flailed wildly in his iron grip. She tried to scratch her assailant's eyes, but could not reach around her dead lover. The assassin studied her carefully as he tightened his grasp. Her face flushed red and eyes bulged, beginning to roll. He was filled with an inexplicable delight, smiling broadly behind his black facemask. His eyes would be the last things hers would ever see.

"_Shhh, mei guan xi xao mei mei._ It is all for the greater good. You will see. One day we will all be dead."

"Some sooner than others."

The assassin wheeled around pulling the blade from Tyler's back. In the glee of his kill he had made a fatal mistake. The blast from Mal's gun sent the assassins blood spraying over Inara and the cabin. Another dead body collapsed on the gasping Companion.

Pushing both bodies off Inara, Mal snatched her up without thinking. He hugged her tight and close but gentle. She was in shock in more ways than Mal could know. Inara had always seemed tall to him, regal and confident. Now she was trembling, small and fragile, coughing and sputtering in his arms. She feared Mal's touch; he could feel it, almost as much as he feared breaking her.

Being naked in a man's arms was a common occurrence for Inara. She was a professional Companion and it was part of the job description. But she had never felt so naked, so helpless as she did now, in Mal's arms. It was what she had always wanted most, but the last thing she wanted now.

No man had ever died on her account and no man had ever touched her with intent to kill. She could not fathom either and yet both were there, palpable and real. And now Mal, and guns and uh!. It was too much. She was filled with conflicting emotions. Inara wanted him right now, she wanted him to hold her, but hated him for being there. She hugged him tightly, hugged him like he was life itself, but then started hitting him repeatedly at the same time.

"Zoe, can you… while I get us out of here."

"Yes Sir." She confirmed. Zoe took hold of Inara, as she collapsed sobbing in her arms. This was not the situation they had expected. Mal wasn't prepared to handle this and Zoe suspected Inara felt the same way. Zoe tried to wrap the trembling woman in a lush gold robe, but Inara suddenly fought her.

"No! no. Not that one." She croaked the words out desperately while trying to curl up into a small ball and disappear.

Zoe understood, dropping the men's robe and finding the frilly silk robe they were accustom to seeing her in. She held Inara firmly trying to control her shaking, as she cleaned the blood of both men from her face.

Mal dragged both lifeless bodies from the shuttle. Gathering up the rest of the poor businessman's things Mal dropped them in a pile by the two. He came back holding a single business card eying it curiously.

"Mule's ready to go." He barked, as he re-entered the shuttle.

"What – about – Tyler?" Inara struggled to get the words out.

"Nothing you can do for him now."

"Sir, Persephone's not used to this kind of goings on." Zoe looked concerned, but Mal wasn't wasting the time handling this with the authorities.

"I left a note. Now get strapped in, _Ma Shong!" _He took the controls and pulled the shuttle into the air. "Kaylee, we're coming home."


	19. Chapter 19 Black Lotus

Chapter Nineteen – Black Lotus

"I'm bored."

Jayne fidgeted with his knife as he sat against the cold stone building wishing he had decided to kill the two tag alongs rather than follow the doctor's hunch. Simon sat patiently watching and adjusting the binoculars for a better shot.

"Shush."

"What's she doing now?"

"Waiting." Simon was studying the sign over the flower shop behind the woman. The sign was simply a black lotus. The window, however, was strangely filled with what looked like artificial flowers. Not what he expected for a flower shop. Must be a cover, he thought.

"Still - What for?"

"I'd say she's waiting for the boss now."

"So what's takin him so long?"

"Important people keep you waiting. It's just their way."

Simon knew this first hand. It was one of the things that doctors mastered early and interns envied. He didn't get it, personally. Doctors should not be like that. He was not like that.

"So what's with this flower shop – it's a front right?"

"Without a doubt." The doctor replied.

"And that sign, that's symbolism, right?"

"The Black Lotus. Mystic beauty – the symbol of transition or death. I'd say it is appropriate for a bunch of assassins."

"Yeah – I thought so." Jayne seemed proud of himself for making the connection.

Simon had to give him credit. Jayne was trying. The sun had now fallen below the building tops and the city was falling into deep shadow. Soon there would not be enough light to see what they had come for.

"Why can't we just coerce her into telling us who hired her."

"Because she is probably more afraid of whoever they are than we could ever hope to make her of us."

Jayne looked at the doctor nodding agreement when he spotted something coming up the street.

"Whoa. What's that?"

"A limousine. This is it."

They both scrambled to get their gear and be in position as the Limo approached. They watched as it pulled up and stopped in front of the bowing woman.

"Are you getting this?

"You bet." Jayne replied. "Zoomed in real good."

The tinted window slid down revealing the face of an older oriental military man. The light from the storefront illuminated him in the dwindling light of dusk. His metals shown clearly on the chest of his Alliance naval uniform. The woman bowed repeatedly, obviously apologizing for losing the two, Simon presumed. Something about the man's face nagged at Simon's memory as he watched the two discussing. Then the man raised a gun and shot the woman, dead in the chest, right there on the street. The limo sped away.

"Damn! That was cold." Jayne laughed. "Hey! Where you goin?"


	20. Chapter 20 Dawn

Chapter Twenty – Dawn

"Brother, Is it done?"

The first rays of morning lit the world outside casting the lavishly appointed room in a muted pallet of pastels and grey tones that only hinted at the decadence of the chamber. Floor to ceiling windows looked out on a predawn seascape that was breathtaking. Thin pink clouds ripped a jagged luminescent line separating the Bellerophon sea and sky. Pail green tufts of grass, trees and carefully landscaped shrubs sat atop hundreds of hovering platforms, Each suspended island was a dark bead against the gentle rippling of the cold blue ocean. The richly dressed man sat at the table, oblivious to the beauty before him, a glass of coffee occupying his left hand while he operated the vid controls with his right. His voice was tinged with a slight irritation, a combination of worry and exhaustion.

Anthony Loe's demeanor was calm but subdued. In that respect he was quite unlike his twin. Where Anthony was cool, collected and thoughtful, younger brother Douglass was brash, impulsive, ruthless and intuitive. This last quality had served him well in his military career. The other three had made him a feared leader in the Lotus. Douglass was also the picture of health, which had long ago escaped Anthony.

As he surveyed his plans for universal dominion mapped out on a chessboard, he could not help but focus on the lone black pawn in the middle of the board. He turned back to the vidcom, feeling the pulse in his forehead begin to rise. Why was his brother not speaking?

The naval officer also looked equally irritated and appeared to be calling him from the inside of a moving car. The screen jostled and pitched as if it were navigating several quick turns. His brother was obviously struggling to keep an even keel. He finally answered his twin's question.

"The crew of this Firefly appears to be as elusive as the ship itself. "

"They are not neutralized?" Now the Minister looked positively distressed.

"They seem to have been prepared for us and proved to be too much for the local chapter to handle."

"Prepared?"

"They have rebuffed all attempts. Though the chapter is young, they are not inept."

"Who are these people?"

"My records show this vessel is just a small-time trader and smuggler run by a harmless independence fighter, but their actions speak to a different truth."

"Have they contacted anyone?"

"A fence, a businessman, and a myriad of vendors, but no one of consequence. I am uploading what I have to you."

"Good. I will use the ministry's restricted resources to find out who these people really are."

"I have more bad news. As I terminated the local contract I was scanned. Professional equipment."

The Minister's eyes narrowed. "That was amateur of you brother."

"They must be spies for Prime Minister Blackwell."

"If he suspected what we were up to or had some evidence to back up his suspicions, as you may have provided, the Firefly would not just be sitting in Persephone. Blackwell would have made a move by now. The well-dressed man pondered his options. "Do everything you can to keep them from leaving Persephone."

"They are on Port lock, though I can't say why. It was ordered by commerce."

"Interesting." The Minister was now decidedly intrigued. "There is more going on here than meets the eye, Brother. Jacobs has joined the game."

"I am sending in my elite to deal with them Brother. Selected from our best from Sihnon."

"Good. You must finish it. I can delay no longer. Jacobs is a smart man as is Blackwell. I cannot give either of them time to adjust. Eliminating then is the best course."

"Understood."

The minister shut off the vidcom. This confirmed it in his mind. Blackwell was not his only opponent, Jacobs was also vying for power, but was this firefly Blackwell's or Jacobs'? How could he play them off against each other without knowing whose pawn he faced? It was no longer a question of whether the pawn would be taken, it was a question of by whom, and if he wanted to continue in this game, it had best be him.


	21. Chapter 21 Shadows

Chapter Twenty One - Shadows

"Here, look at this Mal. " Jayne pointed at the viewer.

"He just popped her right there in the street and drove off."

Jayne sat back in the chair put his hands behind his head as he recited the story to an attentive audience. Simon and Mal sat at the galley table while Kaylee curled up on the corner couch.

"And you should a seed it. The Doc – he just jumped right up and saved that low life scum that was tryin to kill us. Yup he was a regular hero I'd say."

"Is that so?" Mal said absently as he restarted the video and watching it again. Important people don't hire assassins to kill folk for no reason, then turn around and kill them before the job is done. And this guy looked important. Someone is keeping a secret.

"Stopped her bleedin and stabilized her and all, helped them get her to the hospital, took charge when he got there, just like he belonged. All the time I was carryin two really heavy packs. Fur like an hour. And it all only set me back 159.52 credits." Jayne complained. "I was hoping for a payoff that was not so – how do you say it – negative."

Kaylee listened intently, watching Simon's face as Jayne recounted his story. She could see how much Simon loved what he had done in the hospital that day, what he used to do before he came here. The ghost of his old life was back to haunt her once more. How could she compete with that? Her smile slowly faded. As the story continued she found herself fading more and more into the corner, just a shadow. Simon quite obviously belonged there, in the hospital, part of Core society. She, just as obviously, did not.

Zoe walked into the galley and took a seat next to Mal. The captain glanced up at her, his eyes asking the unspoken question. Inara?

"Still pretty shook up." Came the first officer's quiet answer. "Cleaning everything."

"I just don't get you sometimes." Jayne continued his bellyaching.

"I couldn't just let her die, for God sake." Simon didn't like Jayne general outlook on things. It was so amoral.

"Well why the hell not? She was gonna let us die." Jayne retorted. "I shoulda just capped them two from the start. I bet they was carryin more than – now let me calculate it - negative 159.52 credits."

"It wasn't a complete waste." Simon interjected. "I got this from her belongings," He tossed a business card with a large black lotus in the middle on the table. It read 'Lee Chen - Manager' " and a name to go with that face in the limo."

Mal pulled out a matching card, with a bloodstain in the corner, and tossed it down next to Simon's. "Bondar Rishna – Exterminator. It appears that our assassins are all working for the same flower company. I'm betting the three that jumped Kaylee and River were those three you saw." Mal paused for a bit, thinking, "So what's that name."

"Captain Loe. Sixth fleet flagship commander. Second to the Vice Admiral" Simon answered. "I thought I recognized that face."

"You know that guy?" Zoe looked startled.

"No, his brother Anthony is the Minister of Justice and a friend of my father's." Simon continued, "Twins. My father and he were always talking politics, about a better union and improving the Parliament. I had little interest in their conversations, but it was important to my father. He had him over many times."

"So the guy protecting the dead Minister hired assassins to kill us? What does he think we did?"

"Things aren't what they seem." Simon conjectured. "Something is in the shadows that we can't see."

'It's me.' Kaylee thought, but she said nothing and just let her emotions stew.

"If they think we had something to do with killing this Minister, then why not just arrest us? They'd find out we weren't anywhere near Landsdown." Mal pondered. "Why send assassins?"

"Someone wants to keep something quiet." Jayne suggested.

"Any clue as to what?"

"Minister Raven isn't the first rival Minister to die." Simon added. "Carl Tso, Minister of Security, Just last month. It was in my father's letter."

"That was a suicide, wasn't it?" Mal interjected.

"What if it wasn't?"

"What? Why?" Mal couldn't see the sense in it.

"Both were parliamentary rivals to his brother." Simon added.

"Murdered by Alliance?" Mal thought about it for a moment. "Murdered by pirates makes more sense."

"How does that explain the G8 attack so far from the scene? That would just draw attention to the crime." Zoe asked.

"I can't answer that for sure." Simon looked over to Kaylee, small in the corner, lost in some thought. He felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't given her a thought since he returned. She had also been attacked and probably felt ignored.

"This is startin to hurt my head." Jayne grumbled, standing and leaning on the table between them. "Kaylee said… Ain't we … those pirates? And the doc said … or what? "

"Your babbling Jayne."

"Cap'n. I got stuff to do." Kaylee stood and walked out of the galley to the engine room. Her exit was abrupt and uncomfortable. Simon wanted to follow but he sat, unsure of what he would do if he had.

Captain looked from Kaylee's now empty seat to Simon. The doctor didn't look happy but the captain didn't have time for it, what ever this was. "Doc, when you get a chance – check up on Inara?"

'Sure." Simon initially sounded distracted, but then went to get his bag. "I'll do that now."

"Ain't we supposed to be gone?" Jayne complained.

"Port lock. They want to inspect our books. First time in years they probably don't need to." Mal said with a touch of irony. "River and Wash are working on it." Mal noticed a slight twinge in Zoe's expression and immediately regretted the reference.

"What?" Jayne asked.

"Don't ask."


	22. Chapter 22 Ghosts

Chapter Twenty Two - Ghosts

"I just know I saw a bug in here somewhere." Wash mumbled, wracking his ghostly brain. "I thought I could exploit it last time we were locked."

River sat at the console staring intently at a block of streaming numbers, running her cursor up and down through Serenity's critical code block, desperately looking for a way to remove the port lock.

"Try routing it through the Nav computer then back out to the auxiliary life support." Wash pointed to the screen with a transparent hand. "Maybe the critical priority will override the lock."

"Transitive privilege." River retorted, identified the vulnerability as if to say 'don't you think they would have thought of that?'

"Well - maybe."

"How well did it work last time?"

Wash just looked at River mouthing 'How well did it work last time …' with a smug look. She took from his dejected blue eyes that it hadn't worked at all.

"Main life support might work better." River offered apologetically.

"Oh Honey I don't think you want to do that. Your gonna need that when you launch."

"We've gone without it before. I can reboot it when we're away." River argued.

"Ok, what if it doesn't come back."

"Then we come back." She replied. "We won't be any worse off."

"Well, I won't." Wash agreed. " It does carry higher privilege and you'd have to be crazy to do it."

River paused for a moment. Her expression softened and her eyes filled with doubt.

"Why are you here?"

Wash read through the code on the screen, looking for an angle, an error of some kind. Perhaps an unchecked field that he could exploit in the locking code. "I'm helping you escape." He replied idly.

"No." River looked away from the console and directly at Wash. "Why are you here?"

Wash's face got all mushy and concerned, as he looked down the hall at Zoe. She was rechecking her ordinance and racking firearms in the hallway in preparation for the firefight that she knew was coming.

"I need to know that she – all of you will be OK."

River scrunched up her face and looked at him sideway with an, 'I can't believe you expect me to swallow that' expression. He was, after all, a figment of her imagination.

"Ok, Ok." The ghost moved around to face her directly and knelt in front of her. "I'm going to level with you. I'm here because you need to know that they will be alright."

River looked confused.

"You're worried about them, not about yourself, you can handle this kind of trouble. Frankly sometimes I think you'd be just as happy dead."

River studied his sincere face and ghostly blue eyes. He'd always been so kind to the girl when he was alive. Always looked at her as a person, even when the others were afraid of her, when they thought of her as a lunatic or a weapon. He always looked at her like she was a girl, a sweet child. She missed him as she looked into those eyes. Her own eyes started to well and her voice choked.

"But you love these folks, almost as much as I did." Wash continued. " They might not all make it, River. Like I didn't make it. You need me here to help you deal with that."

"But I don't want that?" River argued, quietly crying.

"I don't either."

"How do I keep them safe?"

"You can't, Honey. You can't"

She pulled her knees up close to her chest, rocking slowly, tears now tracing down her cheeks. She buried her face in her arms. "Then what do I do?"

"I don't know."

River choked back her tears, searching for a solution, for a way to find her answers, but it didn't come.

"How come Sheppard Book isn't here?"

"Because you're afraid of him." Wash answered, "And afraid of what he would say."

The girl knew her figment was right. She had to face the fact that she couldn't protect these people that she loved. Not forever. She had to have faith that they would find their own way through. She could only do so much and that wouldn't be enough. Not this time. All she could do was wait and hope.

"What would he say?" River asked after a long tearful pause. "What would Book tell me?"

"Tell them how you feel." Wash said, thoughtfully. "Tell them you love them. That's what he'd say."

.

.-

Zoe met Mal halfway down the engineering hall, her face stern and mildly upset. She held a large caliber weapon in each hand and looked ready for a fight.

"It happened again, sir."

'What?" Mal replied, looking up from his work.

He was rigging the engine room hall with a grenade. He wanted to close down this passage with a remote blast from the bridge if it came down to it. Keep any intruders from shutting down the engines.

"She hugged me. Just out of the blue. Hugged me, told me she loved me and then she walked away."

"Just like that?" Mal asked.

"Just like that." Zoe nodded.

"Think she's falling for you?"

Zoe's face dropped in shocked disbelief at her captain's willingness to flirt with death.

"I just may have to kill you, sir."

"I'm just saying."


	23. Chapter 23 The Telling

Chapter Twenty Three – The Telling

Inara rose from the floor to answer the knock at her shuttle door. She was still clothed in her favorite gold and red silk robe, but her hair was pulled back, hands were gloved and she carried a scrub brush. The lights were uncharacteristically bright and the fragrance was of ammonia and bleach instead of flowers or incense. She had been scrubbing down the shuttle for the last two hours as much to avoid the others as to get it clean. But no matter how hard she worked she couldn't scrub the death from her shuttle walls.

"Oh, River. It's you, _Quing jin_." She motioned the girl to come in.

Inara looked as if she had been expecting someone else, hoping for someone else. She looked weak, frail, desperate. River started at the bruise marks on the Companion's neck and reached out tentatively to touch them as she entered. Inara instinctively snatched the girl's hand and held it firm.

"They'll be fine." She said as she led River, much more gently by the hand to the couch. "I'll be fine. Simon already said – I'm fine."

"What did Nandi say to you?" River asked, out of the blue.

Inara's eyes widened in shock and her knees buckled under her. She fell to the couch steadied by River to a sitting position. Her face went pail as she stammered.

"H-how did you know?"

"She didn't come to you, you called her. Like I called Wash." The girl explained sincerely.

"W-What?"

"I know what she wanted to tell you. Wash told me the same thing and he was right." River sat beside Inara's now confused and shaking body. "Tell him that you love him."

"I – I what?"

"Before it's too late and he is gone. Tell the captain, tell Mal."

"I can't. I'm…"

River reached out and took Inara's hands in hers. She pressed the woman's hands to her own heart, to feel the beating, to feel the life in her. The quivering stopped.

"Zoe had Wash and then she lost him. He is sad. She is sad. But she is healing. She still has what they had together, to hold on to, inside of her, in here."

Inara sat there in silence now, perfectly still, letting River's words wash over her. Each one sinking in to its full meaning.

"If you lose what you never had - it won't heal for either of you." River insisted. "Tell him you love him."

The teen's face suddenly shifted, as if searching for a stray thought in the air over Inara's head, words that still echoed in her mind. She stared curiously into space, as she picked out the words, pulling them from the air. "It is all for the greater good. You will see. One day we will all be dead." Then River's face returned to normal. "You should live while you can, before someone takes it away, before someone takes him away."

River stood and left the room, Inara still petrified in a state of shock.

.

.-

"Captain." River said, not so much as a greeting, but as if acknowledging his existence, stating it as an undeniable fact.

"River." Mal returned curiously.

River grabbed the captain in a huge bear hug and held him for an awkwardly long moment. She held him as she never had before, like a child hugging a parent that was leaving on a long trip, perhaps not to return. Like he was her father. He could feel her warm face against his chest, the tears that soaked through his shirt, the genuineness of her love, her adolescent idealism squeezing at his hardened exterior and long ripened Sinicism. Mal just stood there, staring down at the child, wondering what the hell was going on in his ship. Just as suddenly she let him go.

"Inara needs to see you." She stated flatly. "Oh – and that minister couldn't have died at Landsdown. His dead atoms were all running from that big cruiser at the third moon yesterday. That's why they were sad and all red. They weren't fuzzy anymore."

Then she turned a skipped toward the stairway leading to the lower deck, headed for the infirmary.

"What?" Mal said confused.

"Inara needs to see you." She repeated as she floated down the stair.

He stood shaking the word around in his head again, hoping they would fall into a meaningful thought. This time they did.

Mal had no doubt what River was telling him was true, once he'd made sense of it. And it suddenly made sense to him. They had indeed witnessed the assassination of the Minister, but only River had known it. It wasn't at Landsdown. It was the atoms. It was at the third moon, four and a half clicks away. Assassinated by his protector, Captain Loe of the Cruiser Vanguard. What's more, the culprit didn't know that the crew of Serenity hadn't seen anything. That was why Serenity was attacked by Alliance G8s. But whoever was behind the assassination didn't want attention drawn to it, so assassins were sent instead of the police. They needed the location kept quiet, they needed to control the facts. The Alliance Captain had killed the Minister he was supposed to be protecting. That was a secret worth killing for.

What had Badger said – 'been where you shouldn't have been, seen what you shouldn't have seen, falling down on the wrong side of both sides.' Both sides of what was starting to get more clear. But someone else's words were still ringing in his ears. 'Inara needs to see you.' She hadn't said wants. She said needs.


	24. Chapter 24 Queen's Gambit

Chapter Twenty Four – Queen's Gambit

"Commander? Good to see you still alive." The minister sat back in his chair as he probed for information. "I understand that Admiral Pinkerton is not so lucky."

"It is good to be alive sir."

"What is happening with our problem on Persephone." The Commerce Minister was now in his own office. A large picture window looked out on a white peaked range of purple mountains. The digital rendering tore once or twice and then changed to a seascape of palm trees and white sand beaches.

"I have a striker unit ready to prosecute the Firefly issue." The Commander confirmed. "But now I'm not so sure."

"What? You no longer believe them to be Independent terrorists?"

"Sir, honestly I thought they would be connect to the Dust Devils or the Black Lotus, but Lotus is targeting them. They don't normally target their own or the DD as of late."

"Commander - tell me, what has Captain Loe done?"

"Captain Loe has also dispatched a strike unit, Minister."

"From the Vanguard?"

"No sir, they have come in from Sihnon."

"Interesting. Why such a heavy hand and why his brother's troops? Perhaps I should keep an open mind. Continue as planned Commander, make sure that you take control of the freighter, but watch closely what Loe does and keep me informed. I might want to talk to this Malcolm Reynolds, see what it is that worries Loe so much."

"Yes Sir."

"Perhaps I have finally found what I have been looking for."

.

.-

The sun beat down on an older looking Anthony Loe as he sat by a pool, resting in the shade of an umbrella between his computer table and his breakfast. His face was drawn, tired and though his clothes were richly appointed they were unkempt, as he had been in them for quite some time.

"I have ordered a striker unit from Sihnon to take care of the Firefly. All are also Lotus.

They should be in place in an hour."

"Good brother, I dare not move against Jacobs until I know the interloper has been silenced. We can not afford to let Blackwell know we are his opponents." The Minister looked spent, his shadowed face was drawn and weary as he sat on the veranda of his floating villa.

"Jacobs has made no move of his own. Perhaps there is still time."

"What kind of people are these and can we tell who are they working for?" The Minister's twin asked.

"I can find nothing more on them in the fleet database. They would be seemingly harmless from what is there, but you say they have brushed the Black Lotus Guild aside effortlessly."

"Yes. They are hard and they are trained. Could they be a deep cover team of some kind, or perhaps Operatives?" The officer offered. "Since we removed the Security Minister the operatives have been in disarray. Perhaps a rough team is looking to avenge his death?"

"There is reference to Serenity in the Op Database but nothing concrete." The Minister replied. "It took me nearly the whole night to get all the privileges."

"What did you learn?"

"It looks like this ship has been involved in some of the most secret dealings in the Operative database, however, whether the Ship was the target or the hunter was not clear. They were somehow involved with Blue Star, but their involvement has been purged. There is also a vague reference to a stolen weapon, but no details."

"Reynolds is reputed to have stolen the Laciter."

"Whether they were referring to the Laciter or an Alliance weapon, I can not tell. I fear there is no doubt they are operatives brother, but whom they are operating for is not clear. What are they doing now?"

"They haven't left their transport in hours and there have been no communications." The captain hesitates as an ensign handed him a status sheet. There was distress on his face as he read the paper. "but I have just learned a Federal Strike unit has arrived from the 12th fleet, with orders to interrogate the firefly's crew and eliminate them if they resist."

The Minister sat bolt upright, spilling his drink and toppling the breakfast table beside his lounger. "Take them out. Take them all out - Now."

The monitor of the vidcom went black leaving only the reflection of his panicked face. He did not recognize the reflection staring back at him. Only a few hours earlier this face was confident and ready to take the reins of power. Now he felt out of control - a man losing his grip.

"Who are they? What do they know, and who are they working for?" The Minister puzzled as he turned back to his computer screen. It had to be here somewhere in this op database. Were these deep-planted spies for Jacobs, were these rouge operatives avenging Minister Tso or were these mere smugglers? "Damn-it who are they, really?"


	25. Chapter 25 Calm Before

Chapter Twenty Five – Calm Before

Who are we? Mal, who are we really?

Mal stood in Inara's doorway puzzling over what River had just told him. He had a hundred things on his mind. Inara's existential crisis was not one of them.

"Inara. I got no answers for you. I just have to deal with what's if front of me. And right now that's…"

"Right now - right now that's me."

Inara spread her arms open before him presenting herself, with her big brown eyes, flowing silky hair, long supple body and pleading face. This was not the Inara he was used to seeing though, her neck was bruised, her eyes red and puffy from crying, her spirit struggling to stay in control. She was small, and battered and disheveled and everything he'd ever wanted. He could feel his head starting to spin.

"What do you want from me Inara?" Mal sounded exasperated. "I got assassins attacking my crew, soldiers queuing outside my door and not a clue as to the whys. A world of hurt is waitin to come down on us and I'm not sure this is the best time."

"I just want you to look at us and tell me, before we're both dead – who are we supposed to be?"

Mal stopped, figuring – hell – she just might be right, there might not be another chance. He tried to push all the other concerns out of his head. Focus just on this one thing. For the first time he thought about, not who they were, but who he wanted them to be.

"You know I can't give you what you need." Mal pointed to the luxury around him. "You deserve more than this."

"I don't want more." She retorted.

"I do." He snapped and then softened. "I can't give you the assurance of more than a day at a time. I want to give more than that. You deserve more."

"I've changed. I can't do this anymore. I don't want this anymore, the trappings and the fictions. I want something real." Inara looked around at her cabin and waved away all of the things. Then she reached out her hand to his face and lifted his chin, looking deeply into his blue eyes. Now she was tall and regal; and small and fragile all at the same time. "I can't run from it anymore. I need you. Mal. I want you. Just you."

She leaned slowly in to him, put her forehead to his. It felt right, warm and safe. Nothing was missing. He was closer to her than he had ever been. She could feel his breath; almost taste his lips, the moment welling in her chest.

"Inara." Mal hesitated. "I lost something in the war, back in Serenity Valley, a part of me die there. I've gone about half my life since looking for it and the other half running from it. I don't know if I will ever get it back. I don't think I can ever offer you a whole man. This is all I've got left." He motioned to the ship.

"You're the only man I know that can face anything, any challenge, any fear, anything. Everyone on this ship has faith in you. Why is it so hard for you to have faith in yourself?"

Mal paused for a moment before he answered her. This wasn't a question that was new to the man. Trust was something he'd had no trouble at all with. It was something he could build, something others could earn. But faith. Faith is something that could only be lost. You can have it any time you want, pick it up at any backwater prayer house or, heck, off the cortex for free. They'd sell it in every dime store in the Verse if they could package it. But two days out on the rim and it was gone again, like in the war, like in Serenity valley. The only thing Mal had faith in … was death.

"A man we once knew told me that there was nothing left of him to see. He had lost faith in the only thing he had to hold onto. When it was gone – there was nothing left. There's only so many time a man can go through that before there is nowhere left to go. But out there, out in that sky, there is always somewhere. Somewhere to lose yourself."

Inara put her hand to his mouth before he could say more. "Or find yourself. You can find yourself out there if you look. I did. Mal, you have to have faith in something. If it can't be God - if it can't be you – can it be me?"

"I don't know if I can make that work, but the heart is willing. Lord knows the body is willing."

Inara kissed him lightly on the lips. "I am willing."

"It may take some time for me to work it out. I got some pressing issues, you know that?"

"I'll be here."

Mal turned to leave. She touched his arm. "Mal." He stopped and they stood in silence for a moment. "I love you."

He turned took her in his arms and kisses her, long and slow and gentle, leaving her with wide eyes and breathless. "I have always loved you." He replied.

.

.-

River stood in the doorway of the engine room watching Kaylee tuning and trimming, adjusting and tweaking. She didn't want to interrupt her, so she just stood in the door.

Kaylee was lost in thought, trying to work away her worries and fears, wondering when the bad was coming, wondering how the captain was going to get them out of this mess and wondering what it would take to make Simon feel at home on her Serenity. She knew that he loved her, well as best as she could believe it. The lowly engineer wasn't exactly sure she deserved someone as important as Simon, or someone as - just all around good. She wanted him – oh God she wanted him, but didn't want to keep him from his calling. He was a healer and the Verse needed him, but she didn't want to lose him either. Her wrench slipped and clattered to the deck.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." She mumbled, skinning her knuckle on the Pelling plate. Kaylee hung upside-down in the Pelling block and quietly cried. Working on Serenity generally soothed her doubts, but it wasn't working tonight. Perhaps it was the impending doom. Perhaps it was the thought of loosing Simon. Or perhaps it was just time to cry. After a minute, she took a deep breath, dried her eyes and went back to work.

Kaylee caught sight of the teen between adjusting the Nav shield coupler driver and double-checking the new Asperator installation.

"River?"

"I…"

She stopped her fussing, walked over to the girl and hugged her. River just stood with a sad look on her face, wringing her hands and crying.

"I know, Honey. I know – I love you too."

.

.-

Mal met the doctor in his infirmary, restocking the new supplies. The captain was in a hurry, but he needed to confirm things with the doctor before he decided on a course of action. He stepped back into their conversation from an hour earlier without so much as a beat missing. Simon too had been thinking on it since they'd last talked.

"So if what you're thinking is correct…"

"I think it is." Simon assured.

"What's he after?"

"An Empire, I would guess." Simon looked into Mal's eyes to see his reaction. "That's what he and my father always argued over. A Core Empire leaving the rim to its own devices, Reavers, pirates, you know - Patience and the like."

"Ha," Mal pondered the thought for a moment. The independents fought and gave their lives to break away from the Alliance. Mal fought that fight and lost. A decade later the Core planets are trying to kick them out and the only thing standing between Loe and his Empire, between the Alliance and freedom of the border planets, was Serenity? The Irony was not lost on him.

"So who's next?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who is his next obstacle?" the captain looked at the doctor as if he were an expert at these matters, someone who's opinion he respected. "Clearly we can't be the one standing in his way. Who is he afraid we are working with?"

"I'd say Minister of Commerce Jacobs. Maybe Admiral Pinkerton. Prime Minister Blackwell is too sick, I think not him." The doctor was uncomfortable with this new role he'd fallen into, but oddly, he liked the feeling of being useful to the Captain.

"And after that?" Mal persisted.

"An Empire in the Core, safe and prosperous. A frontier that is wild and free. Worlds exploited for their resources. Classes divided. The standard."

"A brave new world." Mal looked almost wistful.

"I'm not sure we'll live to see that." The doctor reminded.

"Well, dying for a better world ain't exactly plan B." Mal retorted.

"Is there a plan A?"

"That, good doctor, is your sister's job."


	26. Chapter 26 Digging In

Chapter Twenty Six – Digging In

"Mal leaned on the dining table in the Galley, gathering his thoughts. It only took him a moment.

"They have tried subtle." Mal started. "For whatever reason, they wanted to get rid of us quietly."

Mal looked over the faces of his crew as he leaned on the galley table. Everyone was there except River, who was on the bridge talking to ghosts. Those that were there looked at him with trust in their eyes, faith that he would lead them out of this mess that was just now beginning to make sense to him. He wasn't sure that he deserved it.

"I don't expect they will hold back this time and I don't aim to go quietly. Jayne, set up a firing line in the cargo hold. Take down all access to the upper deck. Only way up here will be from the Infirmary." Mal stayed completely calm as he described the plan. "and Jayne, I'll be needing that Vid you made."

"You got it."

"Zoe. Secure the top lock. Weld it shut if you think it needs. Only two ways in, the way we're situated in this dock, front and the top. I don't want no one at the back door."

"Yes sir."

"Doc. Get what you need up here to the galley. Not likely we can hold the lower deck if the cargo hold is lost."

Simon nodded. He was wondering how he could keep River out of this, but he knew if thing did not go well that would be impossible. River would turn into the weapon she was trained to be. There was no telling how many she would kill before she stopped. He didn't want to return to being a fugitive, but he wouldn't abandon the crew now either. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

"Inara. Get both shuttles prepared to run if we have to. You, Doc and River in one. Jayne, Kaylee and Zoe take the other." His nod was understood. "If you have to 'Rabbit' don't run long. Ditch and scatter. Find a safe place and lay low. The Guild jumps to mind or the Abby."

"Mal?" Inara's look said more than she wanted.

"I hope it don't come to it. But a gunfight is coming, and we should be prepared." Mal looked directly into Inara's eyes.

"Cap'n? I…" Kaylee looked to Mal for direction. She looked lost and scared. They both knew that she was no good in a gunfight.

"You keep helping River with that port lock. If she can get that lifted, I want you the get Serenity off this rock. No hesitation. Just go. You got it?

"Yes Cap'n."

"I got one more thing to do before it's too late. I've got to see a man about our books. If I don't make it back…" Mal turned from the table and called up the hall to the bridge. "...you leave without me. Understand!"

**"Yes captain."** River replied on the intercom.

"Sir, will you be alright out there?" Zoe asked, half offering to come with him.

"I need you here." Mal ordered. "Anyway, you know how careful I am."

"That's why I asked, Sir."


	27. Chapter 27 Shootout

Chapter Twenty Seven – Shootout

Jayne glance out the cargo door, first left, then right. He came back in through the airlock and closed it up, then he punched the switch to close the outer door with no response.

"Gorram port lock." He growled. "No sign of Mal. But it looks like we have two separate strike groups out there now. One grey and one blue."

"Two?" Zoe sounded concerned. "One we could maybe do…"

"I don't get it. The Units is just waitin, staring at each other. Why ain't they killin us? Jayne complained. "Heck – I sure wish Mal would hurry up and get back here, if he died at the dump."

"Maybe they're waiting for the Captain to get back, so they can kill us all together."

"Oh." Jayne replied, seeing Zoe's point. "He could take a little longer then."

The two didn't have to wait long.

"Zoe! Open the damn door." Squawked her voice comm.

"Speak of the devil." Zoe lunged for the airlock button, pressed it and rolled back behind the crates.

The sound of the gunfire erupted outside along with the roar of a hovercraft engine racing toward Serenity, as the airlock door slowly opened. Mal swerved his stolen speeder sharply to the right at the last second, sending it spinning towards a group of soldiers. At the same time he launched himself toward the spreading airlock door.

He came tumbling through the door, followed by a hail of bullets, and laser bolts. Zoe tossed a grenade out the open bay hoping to slow the attack long enough for Mal to join them on the firing line. A neat round laser blast burned a hole in her palm the second she release it, but the small sphere did its job. Jayne returned fire, laying down a broad spread of high caliber bursts.

"What kept you, sir?" Zoe barked through grit teeth while she wrapped a strip of cloth around her hand.

"You know how bureaucrats go on and on. I had to make sure stuff got to the right place." He replied. "Jayne, how many are out there?"

"Two units Mal."

"Port Lock?"

"Still on, sir." Zoe answered.

Aren't we all just full of good news." As he crouched behind his cover, checking the load in his gun and glancing toward Inara's shuttle. She stood half concealed behind the doorway holding a carbine and smiling down at him. "Yeah, all sorts of good news."

The container next to Jayne exploded into a shred of metal shards as the strike unit returned fire with their own heavy caliber weapons.

"Ahee, my leg. Gorrammit Mal they got poppers. Close the damn airlock." Jayne screamed as he pulled a blade of scrap metal from his thigh.

"They rip our airlock apart and we ain't going no place."

Small arms fire opened up outside Serenity. Bullets and blasters were flying everywhere. Not all of it was targeting Serenity. Orders were shouted frantically, angry curses, a few explosions and chaos broke out everywhere. Soon all of the fire was outside, leaving the three warriors inside looking at each other in confusion.

"What the…?"

.

.-

"We're looking at this all wrong." River said to Wash's ghost, who was now laying on the floor, face down, counting the rivets. The sound of gunfire started moments earlier and hadn't stopped since. Wash, even as a ghost, was taking no chances.

"We keep asking for permission, hoping they will think we are important enough." River continued. "We can't fool them."

"What are you saying?" Wash was confused.

"We keep thinking like Wash, when we should think like Mal." River answered.

"Look – I'm your figment. I can only think like me." The ghost defended from the floor.

"What would Mal do?" River asked the ghost.

"He'd hit them where it hurt."

"We should take them down." River mumbled. "If you can't hit the head, step on the toe."

It didn't take long for River to find a hole in the network's security code of another ship. Soon she was in to the other ships accounting system, and then another's. Within minutes every ship in Eavesdown was Serenity. The spaceport computer put them all automatically on port lock.

"What would Mal do?" She mumbled as she typed frantically at the console. "What would Mal do?"

A minute later the dockworkers had all been fired and the port fees had gone up 500%. The spaceport computer locked out the night shift and automatically accessed every bank on Persephone. Managers across the city, from Southdown to Landsdown, were pulled away from their evening affairs or woken from their sleep to handle a glut of overdrawn accounts and angry ship owners.

"What would Mal do?"

The girl's fingers flew skillfully over the keyboard sending a shower of cyber havoc over the spaceport. River was working on changing the port authority's compensation package when somebody panicked. The computer systems all went down, all of them. The port lock dropped.

Wash looked at river with a combination of amazement and pride. "You played the people – not the machine. They panicked."

"Kaylee!" River barked into the intercom. "Fire her up, we're leaving."

Without a moment's hesitation, clearance or permission, the Firefly lifted from the pad and left Eavesdown. Soon Persephone has fading behind them.

River looked at Wash proudly. "I am a bit in the stream – watch me code."

.

.-

Zoe looked from Mal to Jayne with relief in her expression. "Airlock's holding. Blast didn't damage it."

"Well thank God for that, anyway." Jayne picked up three empty weapons and hobbled toward his cabin. "Glad that's over."

"Thank God for that?" Mal repeated considering the statement. "I'll have to ask River what Book has to say about it."


	28. Chapter 28 Picking Up the Pieces

Chapter Twenty Eight – Picking up the Pieces

Malcolm Reynolds sat in the co-pilots chair on the Serenity's bridge setting in a course for Greenleaf. He had no particular business there but for now it seemed a good enough place to go. It was far from the Core and the Alliance; it was far from Reaver territory and no one there wanted to kill him, no one that he could remember anyways.

The crew was cleaning up the cargo bay while he charted this course for less excitement. Doc had taken care of Jayne's wounded leg and Zoe's hand. Kaylee, River and Inara were helping put things back into a more normal order. Serenity was fueled up and they were not being chased, followed or shot at. Things were looking up.

Mal flipped on the cortex news and caught the end of the report. Apparently the Loe brothers were wanted for questioning in some high profile murder investigation of several high level officials in the Alliance, among them the Ministers of Security and Health as well as the Vice Admiral of the Sixth fleet. The Minister and his brother had suddenly become hard to locate. Mal didn't like the Alliance much, but the idea of an empire wasn't any better.

Mal sat back in the chair and stared out the windshield at the expanse of stars. A blue streak smeared along the port side. How River had managed it he still hadn't figured. She'd said something about a 'buffer' and 'Trojan code' and 'variable' but honestly he didn't care. They were off the planet in spite of the port lock. She assured him they'd never figure out how she did it and that was good enough for him.

In other news, the Eavesdown spaceport had a massive computer failure yesterday that, the port authority claimed it was a random virus infection and it may require the complete overhaul of the system to fix. The Minister of Commerce pledged funds to fix the problem and institute new security measures in all ports. More news to come…Verbena, bumper crop driving wheat prices down in the market, Parliament to adjusts tax incentives to encourage… He flipped the monitor to off.

Yup, the Alliance was still hanging together, thanks to some anonymous evidence and a grateful witness in the hospital. No fanfare, no fuss. Now he could go about his business. 'Cosmic Justice' he thought, putting his feet up on the console.

Inara quietly stood in the door behind him and smiled.

.

.-

River was picking up spent shell casings in the cargo bay and smelling them like flowers while Simon and Kaylee threw trash into the trash bay. There was a sadness in Kaylee's eyes. The two didn't speak.

River touched her brother on the sleeve and showed him a shell casing with a smile. He half smiled back at his sister. Then her expression shifted to a stern and yet still childlike look.

"You know she loves you more than a hospital can? You know that don't you?"

"I do." He answered with a melancholy smile. "The hospital can wait, until she is ready."

Zoe walked down the stairway she and Jayne had just rebuilt, slowly testing each step ensuring they were perfect. The Warrior watched River warily as the girl drifted to the bottom of the steps and looked up into her cautious eyes. Zoe had faced death, war, destruction and hell on earth but she had no doubt, there was something about this girl that scared her. It wasn't just that she was a lethal weapon; it wasn't even her unpredictable nature. It was what River could see. She could see the truth, she could see what was hidden, she could see into your mind, into your heart, right through you to the other side. But right now – the girl looked small, innocent and in need.

River looked down at her hands, full of spent shell casings, suddenly shy of Zoe's gaze, as if she were the one exposed. She wanted to talk to the Warrior Woman, tell her about Wash. Tell Zoe how he was talking to her, helping her and still worrying about them all. But she didn't know where to start. After all, she knew he wasn't real. The mysterious girl hesitated at the bottom step waiting for Zoe to get to the bottom.

River reached out her hand gracefully handing Zoe a small light blue blossom. Zoe turned it in her fingers with wonder in her eyes. Where the girl had gotten it, Zoe didn't even question.

"Forget-me-not." The teen spoke softly, meekly.

The warrior smiled and put her hand on River's shoulder appreciatively.

"Tell him I miss him."

"I will."

Zoe turned and walked back up the stairs and headed to the bridge. She passed Mal and Inara holding hands at the door, smiled sweetly at the two and spoke softly.

"The bridge is mine, sir."

"We should be good for the next few hours." Mal explained. "The course is set, pilot's on…"

Inara hushed him with a hand to his lips and pulled him away.

"I got it sir." Zoe assured as they left.

Zoe tucked the small flower behind her ear, slid into the pilot's chair and curled into a ball. Pressing her face deeply into the soft curls of sheep wool, she breathed in the fragrances that were his, leather, wool and plastic dinosaur. She smiled.

.

.-

River sat on top of a crate in the hold cross-legged, feeling the rhythm of Serenity. She closed her eyes, arched her back, and stretched her arms down to her knees, turning her palms up slowly she breathed in. Everyone was part of its flow, its beat, its very life. Zoe on the bridge, Inara leading Mal through the hall, Jayne doing reps on the bench press, Kaylee flushing the contents of the trash bay.

Simon wrapped his arm around Kaylee as they walked off to his cabin. River could feel the smile welling in the engineer. She whispered a silent goodbye to the drifting trash, as Inara lead Mal by the hand to her shuttle. The two entered as quietly as ghosts in a mist. The door closed slowly behind them and locked. River couldn't see the kiss, but she could feel it the air. River smiled.

"You've done a good thing here River." Sheppard Book nodded as he placed a reassuring, albeit cold and ghostly hand on her shoulder. "You should be proud of yourself."

River turned, wide eyed, to see the Sheppard, his knowing smile, kindly eyes and his white hair wildly protruding from his head like some feral bush. She jumped from her crate and ran screaming from the cargo hold and through the hatch that led to her room, leaving the startled ghost behind.

.

.

The End

.

Random Chinese words.

Bizui = Shut up

Dan = egg

Mian = inside

Mei mei = sister

Tian = today

Chan = greedy

Ma-ling-shu = potato

Jiang = sauce

Ma Shong = Now

Wa de ma = Mother of God

Jen duo mei = Just our luck

Tyen shiao duh – Name of all that is sacred

Tzao gao – Crap

Fung luh – Loopy in the head (Crazy)

Wuh de tyen ah – Dear god in heaven

Wag – Hey

Bao Bay – Sweet heart

Tee wuh de pee-goo – Kick me in the butt

Wuh gwo pee – smell something bad

Pee-goo = Butt or bottom

Lao pung yo, nee can chi lai hon yo jing shen

You are looking wonderful, old friend

hundan - asshole

Gos se - Crap

Sheh Sheh – Thankyou

Wah – wow

Tsai boo shr – No way

Niru fun = cow poop

Luh-suh = Garbage

Lao tyeh boo – oh God no

Jing tzahng mei yong duh = consistently useless

Boo-tai jung-itzahng duh = not entirely sane

Quing jin = Come in

Shi = Yes

Bao = be full

Wo men de = our

Zuo ke = be invited

Shi chang = market

Shang dian = store

Ka li ji – curry chicken

Tao zi = peach

Zhi sheng fei ji = helicopter

Chi = to eat

Jui = Wine


End file.
